Why Nah Then?

It’s friendly – nah then is a form of greeting where I come from: “Nah then Bill, fancy a pint?” Hopefully this will be a friendly place to visit. Pronunciation guide – when used in this sense accent the second word.


It indicates logical progression – as such it became my first ever homiletical mannerism. As a teenage preacher whenever I wanted to make a link between one block of a sermon and the next I would pause, and say, "Nah then" before continuing. Hopefully the entries on this blog might have a whiff of the logical about them. They will also from time to time touch on preaching.  Pronunciation guide – when used in this sense accent the first word.


It’s northern – a useful reminder that roots matter and of course there are no better roots than northern roots; after all Jesus himself was a northerner. More pompously, as a northern expression it is a useful reminder that the eternal Word must always speak with a local accent. Abstract universal truth that never touches earth in a particular place at a particular time is not a lot of use to anyone.

Just in case you aren’t as blessed as me n’ Jesus, nah then translates as “now then”.