In Hiberno-English (the English spoken in Ireland), children who misbehave are told not to be bold and might be sent to the bold step. I heard this expression being used the other day and it stuck in my mind as I hadn’t heard it before.
In the UK the equivalents are usually naughty and naughty step, which are defined as,
1. A place where a child is sent after misbehaving in order to reflect on their actions: whenever I did something bad, my uncle would make me sit in the naughty corner
2. A situation of public disgrace: the bosses of the unions found themselves on the naughty step
according to the Oxford Dictionaries
Have you heard bold being used in this sense?
Do you have other words to refer to misbehaviour or disobedience (especially in children)?
I have heard this use of ‘bold’ in Ireland – it seems to be standard there. I had to hear it a few times before realising that it was the equivalent of ‘naughty’ in England. I suppose it comes from the tradtional expectation that a child does not speak or act without the permission of an adult, and for a child to have the ‘boldness’ to do so would be considered a transgression. Whilst not many Irish parents hold such old-fashioned values nowadays, the use of the word has persisted and shifted somewhat in meaning.
I have heard “bold” used in this sense in English speaking south-west Wales. Not sure if indigenous though, as the family had some Irish connections.
In Gaelg (Manx Gaelic), the word ‘daaney’ means both ‘bold’ and ‘cheeky / rude’. I believe the Irish equivalent word is ‘dána’.
In Welsh, ‘person powld’ would be ac cheeky orr slightly rude person.
“Paid bod mor bowld” = don’t be so cheeky.