Does it make me some sort of second class mag, the fact that I've never ever in my life heard, let alone used, the expression 'purely belter' ?

What wakner thought that one up as the title for a film about mags ? And giving the lead roles to a couple of hakkems.

Gob smacked is putting it mildly.

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

Answers

I've often described something as "it's a belter" for something very good but never with "purely" Yours, Linguistically challenged of Ashington.

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

A true Geordie.........naaaaaaa..best I don't go there, it is nearly Christmas after all :)

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

Agree with that PB.......never used the phrase in my life.....Either I not a true Geordie or just an old fart......shut it Screacher!

Now lets see, if you were gonna make a film about two die hard Geordie lads doing whatever is required to raise the money to buy a season ticket to see their favourite team, what would you have called it......Season Ticket might have been a good idea......mind you, there was a book of the same title and it was cr@p.........sorry, what do you mean..... oh right, this film Purely Belter IS the same thing as Season Ticket....... 80)

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

Embarrasingly, the use of the word 'purely' in Geordie lingo originates from the charvers from the West End of Newcastle, ie Scotswood, Elswick, Benwell etc.

Thats not meant to be a slur on the many good people living in the West End, but its a fact that there are a lot of unscrupulous Characters there and they almost have there own language. The word 'purely' is one of those nasty words associated with them.

Go up to a non-charver in the toon and say the word in the context of 'that was purely ladgefull man' and expect to get a lot of stick for it!!

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

The true mark of a Geordie was defined by a Newcastle Exhibition advert around 1992.

Gedoon, gedoon, gedoon.

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

Andy
You definitely have the knack of making a chap feel inaquaduct. I've never heard 'charvers', either.

That's amazing now that I think about it, cos I ain't no spring chicken, and to have gone this long living on the doorstep of a foreign country without picking up some of the lingo, points at a definite lack of development in certain areas.

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

Bill,

Just to enlighten you, here is some of the typical charver lingo...

Charver = Someone who is as common as muck possibly with criminal tendencies.

Ladgefull = embarassing.

Sweet as = Very good.

purely (recently evolved into 'blatantly) = exceptionally.

well aye = as oppossed to whey aye

Dont ask me how I know this!!!!!

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

So you were the bugger who burgled me in Fenham.

Note, I said burgled - you dirty old sods.

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

Not guilty your honour!!!

Seriously though the charver lingo has spread through Tyneside and can now be heard on most estates where there is social dprivation.

Probably why the film makers used it for 'purely belter'.

Another great advert for the North east eh?

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

A bobbyism ?

'The bugger who burgled me' as opposed to ' the burgler who ......'

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

Bobby, that Gedoon, gedoon advert was based on the immortal Bobby Thompson's routine of going on holiday to Blackpool (Flying directly from Walker International of corse) where he spent the whole evening chucking the beer down saying "gedoon, gedoon gedoon" and then spend most of the night bent over the bog shouting "gedup gedup gedup"

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

Thankyou Andy, for those pearls. Purely belter. Feel as if I can hold me head up in the Strawberry again now - well at least while there's neebody trying to catch me eye to get the beers in. :-)

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

How many gold sovereign rings do YOU own Andy?

And do you wear that wet-look hair gel, that makes your hair look greasey?

-- Anonymous, December 14, 2000

Don`t feel bad about it Pit Bill - I`d never heard of `charvers` until I listened to `The Roots of English` on Radio 4. (:o)

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2000

I was in the army cadets with a bunch from welbeck I think and got quite matey with some, right bunch of loons thou, however, they did teach me (some good some bad) how to blow outragous smoke rings, Spit in a very cool way, and all the football songs. Surprisingly little thieving too. They also used the term Purely belter almongst a lot of other things.

Good lads actually, wouldn'y like to bump into 'em on a cold night now like!!

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2000

Andy
'Ladgeful' is purely belter. Sheer poetry.

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2000

My nephew is at Dame Allan's and does the collective family heed in describing everything as "purely". For example, "Shearer's purely class". It may be a generation thing. I remember doing the family heed in by saying "geet" eight times a sentence at one point.

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2000

Andy, In the Doric dialect the word charve or charving is used quite frequently, at a guess I would say its origin is in the farming community, used by the fisherman and the connection there is once again Peterhead/Fraserburg = North Shields, could be wrong but as far as I know, the two areas use a lot of words in common, eg `Ganzy` (pullover- sweater), Gallaces sp? (braces) being two. The word charve would be used as a method of greetin, (a) "Fit Like" (pitmatic what like) (b) replys "nee bad" jes charvin awa, (working along), nae owt else fer it. (a) replies usually accompanied by a sharp audible intake of breath "Aye its a sore charve to earn a crust". I can vaguely remember using the word `Charver! to describe a diddy-guy, tinker,gypsy etc. interesting

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

You learn something every day on this place eh ? I also had never came across purely before - but was obviously too embarassed to admit it ! Familiar enough with charvers though, as one half of the family are from Denton Burn/Scotswood area. Don't ask me why but I always used to refer to as chibbers - probably the influence of a good mate from Teeside where I think it's common enough.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000