Increase your vocabulary

I lived many years without ever hearing 'tardy'. Had no idea what it meant, which when voiced placed me well in the minority. But what can you do - I'd just never heard it, so couldn't imagine it existed. Now I hear it quite often, and realise it's not even that peculiar.

Reminds me of when I introduced a couple of people to 'mardy'

Is it really that regional or were they just slow?