-
Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.
We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
Definition of “Brummie”, “Astonian” etc
- Thread starter Ray Griffiths
- Start date
Old Boy
master brummie
Dek,This is a brummie who is slightly deranged and sadly has not seen the light yet.Dek
I cannot argue with that. Anyone who has supported The Blues for over 70 years, like myself, must be round the bend.
Old Boy
Mike Fisher
Billesley Boy
Isn't that in the Blues song ? "keep right on round the bend" or was it a different song since I last went there with Jimmy Harris and Bertie Auld in the team.
Bernard67Arnold
master brummie
According to Jasper, A True Brummie always wears a sprig of shamrock in his turban BernardWhilst reading Brummy Slang the thought came into my head that what constitutes a true Brummy
Like a true Cockney is born within the sound of Bow Bells. Seeing that Birmingham has spread its boundries over most of the surrounding countryside have we got any distinction about what District doesnt count
cheers Tom
E
Elizabeth Redmond
Guest
Quite right Bernard,lol
paul stacey
master brummie
Funny what Bernie said when I joined the Coldstream Guards my second day at Pirbright Guards Depot, (the old 13 Coy, Bernie) our squad Sgt (Gary Neil) came round asking every one by turn where are you from, I answered, Brum Sgt, can't be he said , a true Brummie is a Jamacian wearing a turban with a shamrock in it, puzzeled me at the time being only 16.
paul
paul
Frothblower
Lubrication In Moderation
I think I'm a Brummie. I can trace my family back 400 years in Brum.
sistersue61
master brummie
Not sure where that puts me - was born in Marston Green which was then in Meriden, only lived in Brum until I was 3, in Charlbury Crescent, Yardley, then moved here to Tamworth, but both sides of the family are brummies,going back over 100 years and although I had a glitch with my daughters who were born in Northampton, my son is a brummie.
I always refer to myself as a Brummie and it's where my heart is, does that count?
I always refer to myself as a Brummie and it's where my heart is, does that count?
J
Jbryan
Guest
I have just found this great site. I left Birmingham many years ago but was a week-end visitor for many years due to the call of family, friends and footy. I have been laughing all morning at the Brummie sayings - I remember the shock when I found out nobody knew what a gambol was - lol. However, I wasn't aware that we are the only ones to say red sauce - I'm sure this is more common or perhaps I just haven't noticed the funny looks when I say it.
You'll be excommunicted in Tamworth if that gets out.....
Do they still hate us there, like they did a few years ago ?
Nice one - Only just spotted it.
Shortie
master brummie
Oh Col h, I hasd to smile when I saw that. I moved to Tamworth in 1972 - and they did hate Brummies then. We were called '021's'. I remember having an extension built to our house about 1981, and the bricklayers said to me 'for an 021, you make a good cup of tea'. On further enquiring, it was because they considered all the folk of Birmingham used sterilised milk (I never did). We were very much resented for a while, but I really think it has disappeared now,possibly due to the fact that there are so many more 'emigrants' to Tamworth than at that time. The town is probably twice the size it was in, say, 1970. Until you mentioned it, I had compltely forgotten the initial dislike of the Brummie here.
Sparkhill Boy
master brummie
Only a true Brummie would have got to the end of this post without slashing their wrists!
Thanks to David for a beautifully written and interesting post and to you all for confirming to my wife that our spelling of Mom dictates to the rest of the world where we are from.
Happy New Year, Graham.
Thanks to David for a beautifully written and interesting post and to you all for confirming to my wife that our spelling of Mom dictates to the rest of the world where we are from.
Happy New Year, Graham.
hi graham
hope you had a enjoyable chtristmas and thank god its gone sorry all but the shouting in the new year eh,
i would love dearly to go up to bazz s end up scotland where they really have a good celebrations on hogmany
but saying that i would not be a true brummie if i did not say that us brummies still know how to shout in the new year we can party in any bodys eyes
we are a sincere and warming bunch of people and we would help any one on the street in dire straghts we are like the god samaritons if we seen some one in the gutter
regardless of race or greed we would pick him up and take him home and fix him up but thereis other people whom would just cross over the rd and walk on bye
graham you said said a truer word to our friend on the last thread to me that makes a good brummie
happy new and healthy new year graham and to all our fellow brummies and members whom ever you are or from best wishes astonion
hope you had a enjoyable chtristmas and thank god its gone sorry all but the shouting in the new year eh,
i would love dearly to go up to bazz s end up scotland where they really have a good celebrations on hogmany
but saying that i would not be a true brummie if i did not say that us brummies still know how to shout in the new year we can party in any bodys eyes
we are a sincere and warming bunch of people and we would help any one on the street in dire straghts we are like the god samaritons if we seen some one in the gutter
regardless of race or greed we would pick him up and take him home and fix him up but thereis other people whom would just cross over the rd and walk on bye
graham you said said a truer word to our friend on the last thread to me that makes a good brummie
happy new and healthy new year graham and to all our fellow brummies and members whom ever you are or from best wishes astonion
hi wessex
happy new year to you
thats the iceing on the cake to hear that oned
yes there is quite afew of those suttononions today whom refuse to be classed as brummies which annoyes me they are brummies
if you cast your mind back to the sixties i think it was an article in the paper about they wanted to disassociated themselvels from birmingham
and with drew there boundrys from brum they classed themselves as the royal s borough of sutton then followed by solihull borugh whom
said the same thing disown the brummies but then i have to laugh because chelmsley wood people tried to class themselves as solihull
but the solihull people do not class the chelmsly wood as there borough but asked people from chelmsley about there addrees and they say oh i live in solihull
where in fact its chelmsley and brum but getting back on track sutton pewople regard themselves as some think different thats sad
i have bussiness connection and two brothers whom live in sutton coldfield sorry the royal borough of sutton they make me laugh
i m,yself was dragged up in the slums of aston amongest the cock roaches from thompsons the butchers and and alsorts of vermin around aston
and there aint much about aston i do not know coming from a mother whom came from the other side of the fence of society whom also suffered the pits of aston and the war years
whilst her family lived the high life of having house maids and wealth but i myself am proud of where i come from and i never will forget and when times
comes and i have met of top people andwhen they mention about family roots i do tell them about where i come from the slumsof aston and i speak with my ungrammour voice
of a true astonion brummie but it not surprize me when you got the reply from the tramp to hide the fact that he was a brummie
happy new year to you best wishes astonion
happy new year to you
thats the iceing on the cake to hear that oned
yes there is quite afew of those suttononions today whom refuse to be classed as brummies which annoyes me they are brummies
if you cast your mind back to the sixties i think it was an article in the paper about they wanted to disassociated themselvels from birmingham
and with drew there boundrys from brum they classed themselves as the royal s borough of sutton then followed by solihull borugh whom
said the same thing disown the brummies but then i have to laugh because chelmsley wood people tried to class themselves as solihull
but the solihull people do not class the chelmsly wood as there borough but asked people from chelmsley about there addrees and they say oh i live in solihull
where in fact its chelmsley and brum but getting back on track sutton pewople regard themselves as some think different thats sad
i have bussiness connection and two brothers whom live in sutton coldfield sorry the royal borough of sutton they make me laugh
i m,yself was dragged up in the slums of aston amongest the cock roaches from thompsons the butchers and and alsorts of vermin around aston
and there aint much about aston i do not know coming from a mother whom came from the other side of the fence of society whom also suffered the pits of aston and the war years
whilst her family lived the high life of having house maids and wealth but i myself am proud of where i come from and i never will forget and when times
comes and i have met of top people andwhen they mention about family roots i do tell them about where i come from the slumsof aston and i speak with my ungrammour voice
of a true astonion brummie but it not surprize me when you got the reply from the tramp to hide the fact that he was a brummie
happy new year to you best wishes astonion
Astonian
it has been a hidden policy over the years to degenerate and belittle the Brummie and his/her accent,first there was crossroads with its appaling acting,then auf wedershon pet with the "dim" Brummie ,Pat Roach As is the norm when a skit of a Brummie comes on its usually the Black Country twang and that is what niggles me, we Brummies have a twang that is like a Brummie ..unique
K.R.O
it has been a hidden policy over the years to degenerate and belittle the Brummie and his/her accent,first there was crossroads with its appaling acting,then auf wedershon pet with the "dim" Brummie ,Pat Roach As is the norm when a skit of a Brummie comes on its usually the Black Country twang and that is what niggles me, we Brummies have a twang that is like a Brummie ..unique
K.R.O
Hi edd
happy new year to you for 2011
yes edd it amazes me how these people from all parts of the country far a field and abroad get confused with us
the tradional broad black accent and when they try to minick us brummies they just do not understand do they they do not have a clue
the biggest thickos are these tvand movie makers on the tv trying to take offa true brummie in there parts of films or stage
its beggers beleive they aint got a dammed clue we hear how the americans like to hear our english speak i wonder what they would make of our true grit brummie accent i may be going this year so i will wait and see how they under stand me
and my true english speaking brummie i aint no posh english grammer speaking me
happy new year to you for 2011
yes edd it amazes me how these people from all parts of the country far a field and abroad get confused with us
the tradional broad black accent and when they try to minick us brummies they just do not understand do they they do not have a clue
the biggest thickos are these tvand movie makers on the tv trying to take offa true brummie in there parts of films or stage
its beggers beleive they aint got a dammed clue we hear how the americans like to hear our english speak i wonder what they would make of our true grit brummie accent i may be going this year so i will wait and see how they under stand me
and my true english speaking brummie i aint no posh english grammer speaking me
Hi edd
most definately half druggged and the other half a front i met young ossie many years ago way back in 1954
when he was a kid abit of a snotty kid meaning the way he spoke abit of a middle class kid
we used topick him up in the ambulance from his house in lodge rd aston we both used to have to attend the general hospital in those days
and we used to go in those old type ambulances the ones with the bells on top
i myself was always on the stretcher inside the ambulance because i could not walk and bang up in plaster for six months and we went
around to houses and picked up people he was a regular he broke his arm and his mom was always with him and we used to talk we was the only two kidsin the ambulance along with the senior brigade
plus the fact of the matter i got to know him and tommy emoie from the band in there early days early days as i knew his aunt used to run an an ice cream shop in handsworth and his cousin a girl very well from winson green we all used to drink at week ends in the smiths arms down winson green rd just along from the nick and the corner of peel st so i know its a showmans front with ossie all of us whom know him personaly know him that is what its is with the brummie accent best wishes astonion
most definately half druggged and the other half a front i met young ossie many years ago way back in 1954
when he was a kid abit of a snotty kid meaning the way he spoke abit of a middle class kid
we used topick him up in the ambulance from his house in lodge rd aston we both used to have to attend the general hospital in those days
and we used to go in those old type ambulances the ones with the bells on top
i myself was always on the stretcher inside the ambulance because i could not walk and bang up in plaster for six months and we went
around to houses and picked up people he was a regular he broke his arm and his mom was always with him and we used to talk we was the only two kidsin the ambulance along with the senior brigade
plus the fact of the matter i got to know him and tommy emoie from the band in there early days early days as i knew his aunt used to run an an ice cream shop in handsworth and his cousin a girl very well from winson green we all used to drink at week ends in the smiths arms down winson green rd just along from the nick and the corner of peel st so i know its a showmans front with ossie all of us whom know him personaly know him that is what its is with the brummie accent best wishes astonion
Hi edd
yes i most certainly remember a mry tonuge whom baby sat tony
whilst his mom ran the bussiness of an ice cream parl#our up handsworth the big cross you see tony wearing on stage
around his neck hes had that since he was a kid and long before they became famous
ossie would not have made the grade to the extint he his now if if was not for tony
i also know his cousin from her younger days as well we are old friends our meeting place was the smiths arms before setting oiff to any local gigs in the early days of there carreer tony is a great guy and they are a great family through and through
best wishes edd astonion
yes i most certainly remember a mry tonuge whom baby sat tony
whilst his mom ran the bussiness of an ice cream parl#our up handsworth the big cross you see tony wearing on stage
around his neck hes had that since he was a kid and long before they became famous
ossie would not have made the grade to the extint he his now if if was not for tony
i also know his cousin from her younger days as well we are old friends our meeting place was the smiths arms before setting oiff to any local gigs in the early days of there carreer tony is a great guy and they are a great family through and through
best wishes edd astonion
TOPSYTURVEY
brum
I was born in the bedroom of our house in Ormand St just off Summer Lane.
Our Mom said the day she went into Labour with me my older sister who was only 10 at the time
was angel. Cleaned the LINO in the bedroom, got things ready for when the Midwife came, but forgot to move the chair
that USED TO BE WEDGED UNDER THE KNOB of the back door to keep it shut so the midwife could get in. Our Mom used to tell people " OUR BETTY was golden when THE BABBY was born"
Her treat for helping was a few pennies to spend at THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT when Dad got paid.
Our Mom said the day she went into Labour with me my older sister who was only 10 at the time
was angel. Cleaned the LINO in the bedroom, got things ready for when the Midwife came, but forgot to move the chair
that USED TO BE WEDGED UNDER THE KNOB of the back door to keep it shut so the midwife could get in. Our Mom used to tell people " OUR BETTY was golden when THE BABBY was born"
Her treat for helping was a few pennies to spend at THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT when Dad got paid.
TOPSYTURVEY
brum
My sister worked with Sylvia Iommi in the late 60s in the kitchen of a Day Nursery.
I think it was Tony Iommis Mom.
I think it was Tony Iommis Mom.
Sparkhill Boy
master brummie
Having read through these posts again I believe that most of the truest Brummies I know subscribe to BHF!
Graham
Graham
i love these comments, what makes a true brummy?? if i can add my tow pence worth, a good few years ago told me --coming from cradley heath-- that he could tell even what street you came from in cradley from the way you spoke. now i was quite sceptical about this till one day the reception bell rang---we had a hotel in devon-- up i goes and this couple asked if we had a room for the night, now, they wernt trying to talk "posh" just well spoken, anyway, i picked something up in there accent, wording, dont ask me to put a finger on it. i replied, very posh, certainly sir, followed up with---and where do yow cum from then?? the guy fell aback as i smiled at him, he came from a road of summer lane, he came into the bar on the night, totaly relaxed and we ended up having a good old sing-song, he had a great voice and sang a good few summer lane songs including the cockeral song??? how it went i forget but it seemed everything was followed by a cock-a-doodle-do. i would be gratfull if someone new the song, he and his wife ended up staying a few nights,
since then in my travels ive spoken to a few people around brum and as soon as they start speaking---usually the older ones-- they drop something out, its the way we speak, invariably i ask them, or point out,--you come from the old end?-- perhaps carl could define it better than me. by the by, a local in devon told me, oh, yea cum from the same place as yoom mate malcolm,? well i got realy peeed of, malcolm was black country, and i had to remind him that i wernt black country,
i have lived in sutton some 40 years, apart from ten years in the hotel bussiness in devon, so i can understand astonians feelings towards "us" but two things to recognise astonian, there are a lot of people in sutton who originate from summer lane aston etc, sadly i find its the new ones who try to hide it, the more succesfull they become the more they boast--i come from aston-- i sold my first house to a couple from great barr, they asked me not to tell anyone. and again astonian, with all due respect, when my mom and dad lived in summer lane, the majority were good people, down to earth, salt of the earth. on a saterday night you new better than to hang about outside the boozers because of the fights,--today i would defy anyone to walk out around summer lane at night period--well, sad as it might sound i,m glad to live up here rather than "down there" when the barton arms reopened, me and the wife was first in, great, but it didnt last long, go down aston today you can have a hundred people standing next to you and you wouldnt notice it in the dark----know what i mean? --- we can speak our minds cant we. i grew up in those areas, aston, nechells, alum rock, great, clean, nice places, full of down to earth people, the few that are there now are in the minority, so yes astonian, i know where your coming from, i would love to live in aston amongst those people i remember, but theyve gone, only there through these pages.
since then in my travels ive spoken to a few people around brum and as soon as they start speaking---usually the older ones-- they drop something out, its the way we speak, invariably i ask them, or point out,--you come from the old end?-- perhaps carl could define it better than me. by the by, a local in devon told me, oh, yea cum from the same place as yoom mate malcolm,? well i got realy peeed of, malcolm was black country, and i had to remind him that i wernt black country,
i have lived in sutton some 40 years, apart from ten years in the hotel bussiness in devon, so i can understand astonians feelings towards "us" but two things to recognise astonian, there are a lot of people in sutton who originate from summer lane aston etc, sadly i find its the new ones who try to hide it, the more succesfull they become the more they boast--i come from aston-- i sold my first house to a couple from great barr, they asked me not to tell anyone. and again astonian, with all due respect, when my mom and dad lived in summer lane, the majority were good people, down to earth, salt of the earth. on a saterday night you new better than to hang about outside the boozers because of the fights,--today i would defy anyone to walk out around summer lane at night period--well, sad as it might sound i,m glad to live up here rather than "down there" when the barton arms reopened, me and the wife was first in, great, but it didnt last long, go down aston today you can have a hundred people standing next to you and you wouldnt notice it in the dark----know what i mean? --- we can speak our minds cant we. i grew up in those areas, aston, nechells, alum rock, great, clean, nice places, full of down to earth people, the few that are there now are in the minority, so yes astonian, i know where your coming from, i would love to live in aston amongst those people i remember, but theyve gone, only there through these pages.