Billy Elliot the Forum

Is there a list of Geordie words and expressions and their meanings one can refer to? Like the urban dictionary perhaps?

Bairn

Blushers

Oi / Oy

Sod

I seem to recall a thread from a year or two back that listed most of the Geordie words used in the show, together with their meanings.If I can trace this I will pass this information on.

This is a lot of fun:

http://www.geordie.org.uk

Here's a link to an archived thread that talked about the Geordie accent in the show:

http://www.billyelliottheforum.me.uk/fo ... it=geordie

And here's a relevant post:

http://www.billyelliottheforum.me.uk/fo ... 343#p85343

OK, so I'll come right out and admit it... I DO have Too Much Free Time On My Hands

Could be. But now you can get to work memorizing that list from the last couple of links.

Eltonjohn wrote:Is there a list of Geordie words and expressions and their meanings one can refer to? Like the urban dictionary perhaps?

Bairn

Blushers

Oi / Oy

Sod

Sod off

I see now that blushers is not a regional word but rather it is from the mainstream like mascara

Still haven't got a comprehensive handle on oi / oy yet. It reminds of the quintessential yiddish expression, oy-vay. I seem to recall hearing multiple oy oy oys used in the context of football (that's soccer for North Americans) match fan-ism.

"Oi" means "Hey!" It is used to get a person's attention, such as in "Oi, Geordie! Want to see something you've never seen before?" It is usually fairly understandable just from the context.

And it's "blusher," not "blushers." In "Expressing Yourself," Michael sings, "Who the hell cares if your blusher's [blusher is] a mess?"

Blusher is the powder rouge that women apply with a brush. It is called that just about everywhere that cosmetics are labeled in English. It's not a Geordie word.

"Bairn" is a word for "child," more specifically, a boy. It shows up in the Scottish ballad "The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry," listed as Child ballad #113. The lyrics are given here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_ ... ule_Skerry

I have sung this song since I got a guitar and learned to play it in high school. I got the song from listening to Joan Baez.

"Sod" is a shortened form of "sodomite," as in a resident of Sodom, which, according to the Bible, was destroyed by God because of the people's licentious ways. In general, it is an equivalent of calling someone any one of a number of sexually tinged insults. "Sod off" is basically the same as "F**k off." Various forms of it are used in the show. For example, when Billy asks Debbie how she puts up with her mother, she says, "I don't have much of a sodding choice, do I?" And yes, somebody thought it was "sodden" because of how it's pronounced, but it's actually "sodding." When Billy hesitates to accept Mrs. Wilkinson's offer of private lessons, she says, "Well, sod you then. See if I care!"