What is British slang for hey?
Starter slang ‘Hiya’ or ‘Hey up’ – these informal greetings both mean ‘hello’ and are especially popular in the north of England. ‘What about ye?’ is popular in Northern Ireland and is another way of saying ‘How are you?’ ‘Howay’ is popular in the north east of England and means ‘let’s go’ or ‘come on’. Brits are more likely to greet each other with a breezy Hi or Hiya – than the more formal Hello, a study has found. A poll of 2,000 Brits found almost half (47 percent) feel that saying Hello when you meet someone has become boring and outdated – having been popularised by Thomas Edison back in 1877.