How can you use endearments?

Endearments are used to express affection and show caring to loved ones, family members – especially children – or friends.

These expressions are incredibly powerful, they transform an ordinary sentence into one which says: “You’re precious to me, you’re one of my special people.” (In fact, the word ‘precious’ itself is a popular endearment.)

Perhaps that’s why it can be rather disconcerting when taxi drivers chuck such terms about with relative impunity. It’s degrading the very idea of expressing esteem.

“Yeah, of course I can take you south of the river darlin’. Why do you ask?”

Obviously, there are people who enjoying receiving endearments from anyone, even random strangers.

In fact, call me biased - I personally love the Geordie accent - but when a cabbie from Newcastle asks: “Where do you want to go pet?” I can’t help but melt.

It conveys a warmth which – to me at least - seems entirely sincere. I may be a sucker – well, ok, I’m definitely a sucker - but I can't help but be charmed by such diffuse tenderness.

Here, I’ve brought you a compilation of some of the most popular endearments in the UK.

Although I’ve grouped them in order to highlight their meanings, many, as you’ll see, cross over into more than one category.

Please note that - perhaps surprisingly - they are rarely gender-specific, except where specified.

Food endearments, sweet:

Sugar

Sugar pie

Sugar plum

Cupcake

Muffin (Be careful though, ‘muffin top’ refers to the somewhat unappealing sight of someone’s midriff hanging over their too-tight trousers. Imagine the shape of the bun and you’ll get the picture. Make sure the recipient of your endearment doesn’t think you’re calling them fat.)

Honey

Hun

Hinny

Honey pie

Honey bun

Honey bunch

Food endearments, savoury:

Pickle

Pumpkin

Sausage

Cute animal and bird endearments:

Lambie/lambiekins (Diminutive version of lamb.)

Duck/y

Cock (Also a term for the male appendage, but popular in some parts of the North of England. It goes without saying, be careful with this one.)

Chick/s (F) (Note the ‘s’ does not necessarily denote a plural here, the ‘chicks’ version can just as readily be used to address one person. For example, you could say to your sister: “Hi chicks, how are you doing?”)

Chicken (In other contexts, this can suggest someone is a coward. Again, be cautious.)

Pet

Floral endearments:

Sweet pea

Buttercup

Petal

Flower

Blossom

Variations on sweetheart:

Sweetheart

Sweetiheart

Sweetie

Sweets

Sweetness

Sweetie pie

Sweetie pops

Cariad (Welsh for sweetheart/darling/love. So it also belongs in the category below.)

Endearments which suggest someone is valued:

Precious

Preciousness

Treasure

Darling

Darl

Darling heart

My dear (Dear on its own can be rather sarcastic. For instance, you might say: “Of course, dear,” when you disagree with someone.)

Dearest

Beloved

Love

Endearments which suggest someone is beautiful:

Beautiful

Beauty

Loveliness

Bonny (wee) lad/lass

Endearments which suggest the person brings joy:

Sunshine

Endearments which suggest goodness:

Angel

The following expressions are used for children, but also for adults, particularly where you want to express protectiveness:

Pickle

Sausage

Pumpkin

Poppet

Lambie/lambiekins

Snickerdoodle

Endearments which express protectiveness, but are applied to adults:

Baby

Babe

Bae

If you're not sure, the following choices are generally the safest:

Pet

Sunshine

Flower

Lad (M)

Lass (F)

Chuck

There you go, flower. Have fun trying them out...