A gennel is the Yorkshire and northern English word for a narrow alleyway or passage between houses — what other regions might call a ginnel, snicket, jitty, or cut. These tight little paths are a staple of older northern English towns, threading between terraced rows and connecting streets. Local kids use them as shortcuts, and locals navigate entire neighbourhoods by them. The word is deeply tied to the geography and identity of Yorkshire towns like Sheffield, where the term is especially common.
Cut through the gennel between the chip shop and the newsagent — it'll save you ten minutes.
No comments yet — say something.
(Yorkshire, mostly, Sheffield, dialect) A ginnel.
No comments yet — say something.
Add your own interpretation of "gennel".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.