Miss Doozer’s comment on Facebook to the other day’s blog (Definition)
A bit of background. I am the youngest of four fairly verbally (and occasionally when young physically) combative siblings. Mother had an imaginative and colourful way with words, particularly when describing things, or people, who irritated her.
I went to a coeducational school where words were seldom minced, either from teachers to pupils, or pupils amongst themselves. It was not unknown for things to get physical there either, in the earlier years. In short I can hold my own and have several ways to refer to a spade, depending on circumstances and the company. And remember, this was the seventies (just).
The first time we went out Sheamus took me to the Spitall Tongues pub to meet theKingsmen. Most of them said a pleasant ‘hello’ or something similar.
The last to be introduced was Fester, leaning against the piano in the corner.
His first words to me were “What are you going out with that wanker for?”
I was a little taken aback and made no reply; but was convinced that Mother’s prejudice against Yorkshire people might not be misplaced.
A couple of weeks later we were at a Kingsmen party and Fester decided to share his low opinion of Sheamus with me; in fairly colourful language. I didn’t get upset or angry but retaliated with my opinion of him in similar terms. I think Fester was quite surprised that Sheamus had found a girlfriend with both a backbone and a brain, who was not prepared to be intimidated. It ended up with us swapping fairly short alliterative insults.
These exchanges were witnessed by a fellow Kingsman and Yorkshireman
(well, Marske) known as Wardie.
Eventually “Hey, Wardie, help me deal with this woman?”
Wardie took a deep breath, drew himself up magisterially, then
“Well, if you will start on someone as well educated, intelligent and articulate as Ben, you deserve all you get, yer great, fat, bald, bad tempered, broken nosed bastard.”
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