Couple of bewers on Pointless...

Wasn't derogatory when I was a kid, just another term for a woman. I think it came here to the north, like bairns, gan, hiem and locally places like Cowpen etc with the Vikings.
Words like kip, radged, chav/charva/chor etc are old English or Romany Cant used by travellers and have been adopted by Northern England, particularly Middlesbrough and Scotland.

I suspect a lot of the Boro settlers/migrant workers had gypsy DNA.

I was travelling on a train in Kent with some Boro mates to see Gillingham for a pre-season friendly, possibly the close season before our season in the 3rd division (80s, not the 60s season).

An old lady leant over to me after hearing me use the term gadgee and asked if I was a traveller.

I told her I wasn't, but explained that it was a term for 'man' in Middlesbrough, where we originated.

She told me that it actually meant woman in the Romany she used and man was gadgoo.

I haven't had verification from any other source but have no reason to doubt her.

As for the word bewer; both sides of the family (prodestant dad from Grove Hill and catholic mother from South Bank) used it as argot for woman.

In my working class upbringing amongst my extended family on the streets of Grove Hill, St Paul's (Canon Street), Central Boro, Doggy, South Bank, Grangetown, Eston, Teesville and Whale Hill it was never used as a derogatory word for woman.

Whist I welcome misogyny being called out, I'm afraid anyone accusing me of it, are barking up the wrong tree.

In my youth in the 60s and 70s I used horrible racist, sexist, homophobic language.

It was only when I turned 16/17 I realised friends and myself were in the process of being duped by the shadowy right wing and ripped up application forms for the League of St George and Column 88 which had been given to me.

I totally flipped and become a pain in the R's of friends and family forever correcting them ever since.

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm vehemently anti racist, homophobic, sexist, fascist etc.

I know I'm in the minority believing PC to be a good thing, because I've been both sides of the fence.

I'm certainly not going to stop using the term 'bewer' until someone can confirm that it has been bastadised by mysoginsts in recent times.

I'm not going to take elocution lessons or take bleach and a wire brush to my old school tats, including my 'Rule Brittania' tat from a previous version of myself. I save it as a reminder but never display it.

I'm proud to be a northern, working class socialist. Despite the present right wing of the Labour Party alienating me.

Vive la PRT and goodwill to all gadgees and bewers and transgendered

IWWT, UTFB, WSO, BLK2:The Bob End Crew.

Xxx
 
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