Whilst staying in a hotel for Christmas I noticed that the staff who spoke any English would throw "love" or "darling" onto the ends of a sentence and I realised that they had picked this up from the people staying at the hotel and not from their lessons.

So I thought that it might be a bit of fun to say what names are used in different areas in the UK and Spain.

In my town they are inclined to use guapo and guapa more than anything else. When I lived in Cornwall it was cock or hen. I cannot remember what we used in Devon.

Rosemary

In the westcountry - "me luvver".

In Jimena - "guapa/guapo" (although I have to say I wasn't often addressed thus) and - oddly often between women - "coño".

My MIL used to say "duck", she was from Sheffield.

Yes, "me luvver" is West Country, I had forgotten. I know that we used to use something else as well in Plymouth but my brain cannot come up with it.

I was totally stunned the first time that someone shouted guapa to me here, sounds so strange when you are old.

Rosemary

I was once addressed as "guapo" by three giggling teenage girls. I'm pretty sure they weren't serious.

Mind you go back a few decades...

Probably nearer "my luvver" or alternatively "my 'ansumm" (or maybe that was just for me, LOL) "me" is a bit estuary!
[former Devonian]

My ´ansumm, that is the one that I could not remember. Thank you.

Rosemary

Rosemary was your MIL originally from Sheffield? I'm Sheffield born & bred and The term always used there is Love or lovey.
Duck is more Derbyshire/Notts area. Maybe she was from the deep south of Sheffield


At first in Spain I was quite taken by the fact that certain ladies in our town seemed to be addressing me by "Hola guapo" whenever I passed them, until I realised that they were in fact speaking to my dog.

coño is also widely used here in Sevilla, along with Tio/tia.

What makes me smile is ladies in their 70's & 80's calling each other niña

Yes she was 100% Sheffield but by the time I knew her she was living in the south and had friends from other places so she might have picked up one of their favourites. Edit; I just remembered that Graham said that as they lived on the edge of Sheffield he used to take long walks into Derbyshire so that links with what you said.

The women here tend to say chica rather than niña to each other, but they also use tio and tia a lot.

Rosemary

The Westcountry is a big place. The bit where I come from (N. Somerset) they can't say "my" it comes out as "moy" or even "muy" - but often it's "me". The "r" on the end of "luvver" is extended and exaggerated as well - "moy luvverr" is about right.

You get the odd "cariño" in Jimena.

Remember that well as I had family in Nether Stowey.

Rosemary

Know it well - we were there the other day doing a gig in The George Hotel.

I Wouldn't have thought anything could be more friendly than the typical N.E. expression, "pet".
However when out with an Austrian Lady one evening and just being my usual friendly self, I referred to her as such, only to receive a somewhat hostile outraged reply.......

"Do Not Call Me Pet, I Am Not An Animal" !!!

My kids could never understand or accept that our lovely Doctor called them pet as it was not a Cornish endearment.

Rosemary.

My part of the South West it would have been "Alright bird"