shy bairns get nowt

alternative shy bairns get noot

1. GeordieIf you're too shy, or don't ask, you will not get what you want.

   A' forgot te ask 'er fo' me money back! Wye, shy bairns get nowt.

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   Aye, Mary, we heard you. How could we not? Ah well, shy bairns get nowt. Will we let her at the microphone and give me a bit peace?

   1994, Fiona Cooper, A Skyhook in the Midnight Sun, London; New York, N.Y.: Serpent's Tail, →ISBN, page 121

   Ask questions, enquire, and push for more information and care. As the saying goes in the north-east, ‘shy bairns get nowt’! Know your rights and what you are entitled to by pushing and not taking no for an answer.

   2007, “Rob [Rob has a Six-year-old Son who was Infected with Cytomegalovirus as a Baby]”, in Jill Harrison, Matthew Henderson, Rob Leonard, editors, Different Dads: Fathers’ Stories of Parenting Disabled Children, London; Philadelphia, Pa.: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 37

   An old Geordie saying says: ‘Shy bairns get nowt!’ It literally means ‘shy children get nothing’, but is used to emphasise that people should speak up for themselves. I think that this saying applies to leaders.

   2011, John Marrin, “Ten Tips on Taking the Lead”, in Leadership for Dummies (For Dummies Series), Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley, →ISBN, page 297