2 reports in papers today. Pulled up in training and has to slow down apparently. Reckon he's still about 3 weeks away. (I didn't think it would be much earlier in all honesty) He's probably pushing himself too hard in order to make the England squad.

Bloody hell he's injury prone isn't he? Has he got femer (sp?) bones or what?

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

Answers

Definitely a spelling mistake Lynda. Think it should read 'female' bones.

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

It's femur, but only in his legs. :-{E}

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

Female bones? 80 year old female's bones with oesteoporosis I think!

Actually another 3 weeks isn't that bad, we weren't really expecting him back before that were we. Although it would have been great to have him play v Arsenal and Liverpool.

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

How do you spell it then? It's a regional specific word I think, not in dictionary.

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

Lynda, how can you spell oesteoporosis, but struggle with femur? I can't even say it (oesteoporosis that is. I can say 'it'). Actually I think you're right, none of us expected him back until after the Arse FA cup game. His six weeks will be up then. Unfortunately I've an odd feeling we won't see him again this season. I think YBR also thought that when Kevin picked up his latest injury, hence the JJ signing, which would otherwise have happened in the close season.

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

Reckon you were close enough with 'femer', Lynda. Might need another 'm', and I've always said it with the 'e' as in 'lemon'.

I've always understood it to mean weak, but not particularly to do with the legs.

Footy to linguistics via medicine in a quarter of an easy lesson. This place never ceases to amaze me. :-{E}

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

Hells bells Lynda, one thread stating we're not gonna get Distin and another stating that Wee Kevin is knackered. You're not gonna start anymore today I hope. 8O)

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

It's definitely 'femur'. It specifically refers to the thigh bone, but can also be 'of the thigh'.

I'm sure Dyer is desperate to get into the Ingerlan' setup, but I don't think he'll have time to get fit enough. Thing is, Robson is so patriotic that he'd want to see him stretch himself to get fit for Japan/Korea over and above NUFC.

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

Beg to differ Bobby. The 'femmer' I, and sounds like Lynda as well, was using, is the possibly corrupted version of 'femur' which over the years, has come to mean weak generally, regardless of where the weakness was located. But to my knowledge, it's always been pronounced 'femmer' or even 'femma'.

Not sure how localised the use in that fashion is though.

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

dictionary.com doesn't have either of those entries, but I guess that usage could come from the colloquial or vernacular for weakness as you say ;-)

If I feel pedantic enough tonight I'll check my wife's copy of the Shorter Oxford

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

Heedinhands - I only started the Dyer thread not the Distin one!

Pit Bill is right - femur is thigh bone or whatever the femma/femmer/fema I'm using is a word for weak or lightweight. I know the difference! i think it may only be a Tyneside word, or may only be specific to certain parts of Tyneside. Is it known further out in Northumbria?

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

I often wonder why many young footballers are so injury prone. I say its down to the poor dietry habits of kids, particularly over the past 20 years. Ower much ket and junk food - not enough greens, mince & tatties etc.....

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

I mustn't work hard enough...

Found it mentioned here and looks like a regional expression.

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

Me mam used it all the time out in NZ, although she never told me how to spell it. None of our neighbours had a clue what she was on about!

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

Perhaps he's got growing pains, like Stephen Gerrard had last year!?

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

Because I live away from home I'm very conscious of words which don't translate. People in the North West don't know what I'm on about if I say spelk, keen (as in blister or sore), lugs, tats or clarts. In fact lugs down here means tats! How confusing.

Plus stuff like dee, geet, canny, gan on etc. There's no chance of being understood.

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

According to the official site.

http://www.nufc.co.uk/99_00/news/020226a.htm

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

my God they read the papers !!!!!

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002