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Saturday 17 September 2011

GLOSSARY
Gadgie;   Bill Griffiths A Dictionary of North East Dialect defines gadgie as " bloke, old man, official...........park keeper, odd character................
 The dictionary is a must for anybody interested in the North East of England and there is a companion book by the same author; Pitmatic, The talk of the North East Coalfield.

FTA;   Some years ago, so the story goes, Alan Lauder and Harry Nagel were out on a walk. Harry was some distance ahead of Alan who said words to the effect  "It's alright for you and Mike Emmett, you are a couple of Fat Plodders who can go all day but I'm a Finely Tuned Athlete"   Hence FTA, anyone who runs and isn't overweight. There are some variations: AFTA,  EFTA      (Almost a finely tuned athlete and Ex finely tuned athlete)

FP; See above.

HERBIE STOP Lunch break. Originally a "Mike and Harry's" but as Herbie always seems to eat more than anybody else and stops more often for a snack the name has changed.  It was Herbie who introduced us to the Greggs breakfast of bacon butty and coffee at the start of a bus walk.

HERBIVORE  Someone who eats a lot (Another of Brians dreadful jokes)

SCORCHER BY LUNCHTIME ; a wet morning, usually followed by a wet afternoon.


LAUDER GRASS     Moorland tussocks. Originally called "Dougalls" after the dog in The Magic Roundabout * but renamed after an angry outburst from Alan Lauder as we walked across a moor. To be fair to Alan they are not the easiest of surfaces to cross. Heather can also be classified as Lauder Grass but it does clean your boots. Mind the wife moans trying to get the heather off my socks.

* The Magic Roundabout. Wonderful 60s stop motion  childrens cartoon series. (French?) Narrated by Emma Thompson's dad and  watched by adults. Characters included Dougall, the dog, Dylan the hippy rabbit, Ermintrude  the cow,  Brian the snail, a little girl and a character called Zebedee who ended the programme by saying "Time for bed" and flying off on the spring he had instead of legs.

An Arthur Robinson
Named after a lecturer at North Tyneside College. We took him along Striding Edge some years ago and towards the end where there is a scramble he was struggling a bit. Another walker, obviously from a higher caste than us asked him if he was alright.
Arthur replied that he was but that bhe would not be walking with these "flipping beggars" again. At least that's what In think he said. Since then an Arthur is a walk not to be followed.
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