Recent content by Maria Magenta

Yes, he was in the army during the war. That does make sense.

A great-aunt used to say this, but she wasn't originally from Birmingham. I also came across it in Julie Walters' memoir, where she says, I think, it was used by her grandmother.

The other day I was in a very noisy tea room and remembered my dad referring to such a noise (clattering cutlery, excited children, shouting adults, etc.) as a chow-row. Is it a real word, or did he invent it?

Thank you Janice and Pedrocut. It's an interesting point about words used now being unavailable at that time. Diagnoses are quite nuanced now (I think).

I forgot to say that they were young adults, late teens and early twenties, and they were working. So far I haven't found them in 1921 - have to keep on looking. It's something to untangle. You're right, and I remember the term ESN (educationally sub-normal) in the 1970s. And it was at a time...

In the 1911 census I found a couple of relatives I wasn't really aware of with this description (which is horrible). There's no way now of knowing what this actually meant, and anyone who would have known is no longer here, but it raises questions like did they go to an ordinary school and what...

Thanks, Vivienne14 and Johnny082. It all adds to the picture.

Ah, I got the wrong info! Thanks. That does seem to make more sense.

I found an ancestor in the 1911 census whose occupation was Twister. Apparently, this was to do with the rag and bone trade, and twister referred to the motion of the hands as the person turned over the items.

He died a couple of days ago and the reason I'm mentioning it is that he played Hamlet at the Rep in 1969 and was apparently very good. (I didn't see it and rather wish I had but saw the revival with Alec McCowen).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0028q8y/influential-with-katty-kay-series-3-derek-jacobi It's a short interview and he says a little about his time at the Rep in the 1960s.

Fabulous. You don't often hear the word 'dainty' these days!

One of the items was a clocking-in clock from a factory in Birmingham that manufactured street lighting. The name was Crawford. Another was a bicycle used for bicycle polo, brought in by members of (unless I misheard) the Solihull Bicycle Polo Club.

Thank you, that's brilliant. We've become slightly obsessed! And Polish Dancing Party is a perfect description :-)

Thanks, Pedrocut.