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Here's a selection of words and phrases from the forthcoming Charver Central book. If you've anything you'd like to add, please use the form below
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alfie v. To grass somebody up to the authorities, to tell tales:
Ch: "He puar alfied on me."
Eng: “I suspect he’s the reason I’m a suspect.”
a'narrrh v.The words ‘I know’, drawled slowly through what sounds like a a full nose of snot. This noise is used often and anywhere in a Charver conversation, to indicate agreement and understanding.
bail n. A convenient arrangement with the magistrates, that allows Charvers to continue robbing before their trial.
bar n. A basic unit of charver currency, equivalent to a full English pound. As in:
Ch: “Aah giv’im a good howkin’ and they ownly fined ‘iz fowty-bar.”
Eng: “I was fined a mere forty pounds for my latest ‘misunderstanding’.”
bella n. Bella Brusco, a cheap sparkling white wine that gets one peeved-up for a couple of quid a bottle. It’s the Charver Carva, perfect for that tab-lit chip supper and best served at bus-stop temperature. See also White Shite, Paggered and Monged-up.
belta adj. Expression of enthusiasm: top-notch, excellent, brilliant. Can be used to emphasise anything that is exceptional in Charver life.
Ch: “Swear to god, this tack’s proper belta.”
Eng: “Do you want to buy a tenner deal of horse shite?”
bewer n. Older female of the Charver species. Not necessarily complimentary, if said to a young single lass.
Ch: “Aahm gan yairm to me bewer.”
Eng: “It’s time to return to the little lady.”
bizzies n. Adopted by Charvers who’ve watched a lot of TV Soaps (Brookie, etc.) from the Scouse word for police officers. See also polliss.
bucket n. Household implement part-filled with water, providing tab-less Charvers with a complicated method of getting off their tits on tack.
bus fare n. Many’s the time you’ll hear these words in a request by Charvers, and think the poor mites are stranded in town. They’re not. They’re thirsty.
Ch: “Can you lend iz ten-bob for me bus fare?”
Eng: “I’m fifty-pence short of a bottle of Bella.”
chaw To steal something, or to go on the rob.
Ch: “Wor kid’s oot on the chaw.”
Eng: “My brother is out gathering items for the household.”
chiv 1. n. Knife or sharp implement. 2. v. To stab someone.
chivved-up adj. Carrying a knife for mischevious purposes.
Ch: “Wotcha back Dazza, eez chivved-up.”
Eng: “Proceed with caution Darren, he appears to have a weapon.”
clivva 1. adj. Intelligent. 2 . adj. Healthy.
Ch: “Ye divvn’t look ower clivva.”
Eng: “Perhaps the last spliff has made you unwell.”
couple-on n. When a Charver lights a cigarette, his or her mates will instinctively shout “couple-on”. From then, the tab will be fought over by all ten or so of them, each trying to suck as much smoke as possible in their alotted two goes.
This leaves the runt of the litter with the filter:
Ch: “Leave iz the white, not the shite.”
Eng: “I’d rather not inhale the filter, thank-you.
• See also fog-on and duck’s arse.
cowie n. Low-quality recreational drug sold to the unwary as ‘ecstasy’ and often taken in bulk. Also known as a ‘disco biscuit’.
Ch: “Aah wez proper cowied off me tits.”
Eng: “After seven pills I felt quite giddy.”
crib n. Where a Charver sleeps at night. A bed, wanking-pit.
Ch: “Ask me ma, aah wez in me crib.”
Eng: “My mother will vouch that I wasn’t out last night, officer.”
cush adj. Shortened form of Cushty,
meaning good or cool. For extra emphasis, the words double, or puar (pure) can be inserted before it.
Old Charver joke: “Me telephone number’s two-six-one, double-cush, double-cush.”
deek v. To look. Charvers don’t like being looked at, hence:
Ch: “What yee deekin’ at? Hev a got a telly on me heed?”
Eng: “Are you looking at me?”
doilum n. A Charver term for someone of below average intelligence. By anyone’s standards, that’s a complete imbecile. Also know as a ‘dafty’.
ducks arse n. The filter of a tab that has been moistened with the spittle, pus and phlegm of the dozen or so drooling charvers who’ve shared it. This also applies to the roach in a spliff.
eeenaaar n. The call of the female Charver, when asked if she’s got any tabs or booze. (Literally, “Oh no!”) Many males have now adopted this ‘word’ as a term of endearment for their girl-folk. Hence:
Ch: “This place is chokka with eeenaaars.”
Eng: “There’s lots of ladies here with no money.”
fog n. First.
fog-on v. This is the call of the caring Charver, who’s seen you light a cigarette and wants to spare you the trauma of inhaling the last few cancerous draws before it reaches the filter. If there’s two Charvers you’ll hear the shout ‘Sec’; and if you want to see a fight, flick a half-smoked tab into a bus-stop full of them.
friskin' To joke, or to take the mickey.
Ch: "I wez ownly friskin' ya, man"
Eng: “Perhaps you’ve missed the humour in what I just said.”
gadgie n. Like many Charver words this is of gypsy origin, and means ‘old man’. Hence girls may say: “Divvn’t fancy yours, he’s a puar gadgie.”
Charvers on the rob use the word to describe a security man.
Ch: “Gan canny, the gadgie’s got a durg.”
Eng: “If you burgle that factory, you’ll get the night-watchman’s Rottweiler on your arse.”
geet adj. Literally, ‘great’ – but in Charver use has become a meaningless amplification in any sentence: “Ah geet went doon the Spar shop to buy some geet lager, but the geet twat wot works there wouldn’t serve iz.”
The word has been corrupted on parts of Tyneside to ‘git’, in which sense it’s also used to exaggerate something.
Ch: “You’re git thick, yee.”
Eng: “I sometimes wonder about your intelligence.”
gluey n. A sniffer of glue – one of the lowest life-forms known to Charvers. Even smackheads view them with pity.
graft v. In normal Geordie parlance, this means work. When an unemployed Charver goes ‘on the graft’, they expect to make some money by other means. See also, On A Mish.
Ch: “Is your Darren still on the graft’’?
Eng: “I’ve noticed a lot of broken windows down our side of the street, when will your son start on the other side?”
greef v. To be giving someone unnecessary hassle.
Ch: Divvn’t grief iz, it’ll still smurk.
Eng: Given time, this spliff will be smokeable.
heed the baal n. Literally, ‘Head The Ball’. Someone with a damaged head, perhaps a bit mad:
Ch: “He’s a proper heed the baal, him.”
Eng: “I’d watch that knacker, if I were you.
hew adv. Can also be pronounced 'how'. Nobody knows or cares what it means: it’s used so frequently in Charver conversation, it’s the equivalent of a grunt. Example:
Ch: “Ah divvn’t knaa aboot ye, hew, but aam gan yairm, hew.”
Eng: Eh?
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