Mackem through and through
- idiom
- UK
:
Mackem de corazón
- Everyone could tell he was Mackem through and through from his accent and football loyalties.
Examples
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She’s a Mackem through and through, proud of her Sunderland heritage.
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Despite living abroad, she remains Mackem through and through in her attitude and values.
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He is a true Mackem through and through!
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Being a Mackem through and through, she loves her hometown.
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Everyone could tell he was Mackem through and through from his accent and football loyalties.
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Being a Mackem through and through, she loves her hometown.
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Despite living abroad, she remains Mackem through and through in her attitude and values.
Synonyms
A person from Sunderland who strongly supports the local football team
A person from Sunderland in northeast England
How Mackem
Surface Forms
Morphology
Mackem + through + and + through
The phrase combines the demonym 'Mackem' with the common intensifier 'through and through' (meaning 'completely' or 'thoroughly'), so its meaning is directly derivable as 'completely a Mackem.' Given a learner knows the constituent words, the compositional pattern is transparent despite the cultural specificity of 'Mackem.'
Etymology
Mackem through and through joins the local name Mackem, a person from Sunderland, and the saying through and through, which paints the picture of something going all the way from one side to the other, like a cloth soaked right through. So it means 'completely' proud of Sunderland and showing that local identity.
