Why does this happen?

We are snowed in not moved all day love to MrS

A bit of a diversion...Mr soop's GP has just phoned to say that the throat swab [he has tonsilitis] also shows growth of chlamydia. Poor love, he's been having a rough time recently. I noticed slight grazes on both his elbows which are due to kneeling during the night [to ease breathing] and resting his elbows on the chair...
"Wet snow" falling but not settling.
Rory on a wee walkabout. We're taking it in turns to shout for him to come home. Paper towel ready for his rub-down. He's bound to be soaked.
Diversion over!

soop !!

You minx, Twinkle Toes

Mine could never refer to me as 'the little woman' as I'm about 2" (at least) taller than him. He wouldn't dare anyway - even if I was 10" shorter !

Couldn't agree more, absent

harrigran Someone addressed me as bonny lass shortly after I moved to the North-east and while I am only too well aware of its inaccuracy, I still find it utterly charming.

Now the expression "the little woman" has completely different connotations and I can't help thinking that any man who refers to his wife in that way deserves a good slap.

Man is used quite a lot in NE even GC use it in exasperation ' aw man, now look what you've done' Somebody being rough would be told 'ow man, gan canny' Somebody stepping out of line may be told 'watch it bonny lad'. Bonny lass was used too. It was common in my childhood to be called hinny or more likely 'what fettle hinny ?'

There's a lot of Viking influence in Scottish dialects. Cullen skink is one of my favourites - had a lovely bowl of it in Tobermory last time I was there.

Deviating slightly from the OP, a couple of years ago we had a short holiday in Western Scotland and had some Cullen Skink in a pub.
When we got home I was raving about this delicious soup made with potatoes and smoked haddock, to a Danish friend who told me that 'skink' means a similar thing in Danish.

At St Andrews student landladies were known as 'bunkwives'. The accommodation was a 'bunk'

That's interesting anno

Oh, YES Butty! And it's even worse when they're older...

I really dislike it when little girls are called 'Princess'...........as in "How's my little princess then?".

|When you are a mum they will always be boys to you.

My middle-aged sons are still 'the boys'. Can't think of what else to call them.

There's nothing wrong with any of those names, gracesmum, it's just that 'wee man' or 'little man' seems fairly common all over the country, whereas you don't often hear baby girls or toddlers referred to as 'little ladies' - except when they're dressed up in their finest, I suppose!

My daughters were always 'the girls' (still are sometimes!) and now my granddaughters are also 'the girls or more often 'the girlies' - I did not have any sons nor do I have grandsons (yet!?)

Gracesmum I haven't ever heard anyone call a wee girl a little lady but I hear boys referred to as "the wee man" regularly. Again maybe that is just in my part of the world in central Scotland.

As in 'fishwife', jane. In Anglo Saxon, 'wif' is an adult female whether married or not. Also 'wifmann' which eventually evolved into woman.

Little man and little lady? (for a tiny)
Wee man and wee lass?
Young man and young lady/woman? (any age)

These sound OK to me

An unusual use of 'wife' in the NE is to mean any grown woman eg
'Did you see a man doctor last time you came to th clinic'
'No, it was a wife.'

Ana 'lass' is certainly applied to women of all ages here in the Northeast and 'posh lass' is a derogatory term for anyone who cannot boast good working class credentials. Only joking everyone!
Similarly 'young man' is used as a greeting to any male person, but especially old men in an affectionate way.
I am sure glass, gillybob or any of the other genuine Geordies will correct me if I have got this wrong.

Like the wee girrul in the Lidl or Aldi ad who said 'but we don't like shepherds'. She was great.

I think lassie can mean young woman. Once when I was cycling through Edinburgh in winter and at night (so I was well wrapped up) someone shouted as I waited at a junction: "Are you a lassie or a laddy?" I didn't answer but in fact I was a woman in my late twenties and a mother of two.

Are grown mean ever called Wee Man? I should think they'd dislike it as much as women probably dislike terms like Little Woman.

DH referred to Kate Middleton as "poor lass" when he heard about her pregnancy sickness. Perhaps it's used in Wales.