Ned (Scottish)

Ned is a derogatory term applied in Scotland to hooligans, louts or petty criminals.[1][2][3][4]

"Neds" redirects here. For the 2010 film, see Neds (film).

Early use of term

The Oxford Living Dictionaries dates the term to the early 19th century.[5] Examples are plentiful through the 20th century. Former Chief Constable of Glasgow Sir Percy Sillitoe noted use of the word by gangs and police in the 1930s.[6] Leader columns of newspapers in the 1960s featured the term in relation to teenage gang violence.[7] In a 1962 book, the crime writer and broadcaster Bill Knox referred to stolen cars turning up after having been taken "by a bunch of neds who want transport for some house-breaking job". He publicised the term more widely in his 1970s police report series Crimedesk, made and broadcast by STV.[8] In his 1975 novel Rally to Kill, Knox described "neds" as Glasgow's "tag for small-time hoodlums", saying that "neds" and their families from the Gorbals had been rehoused elsewhere in the city, "taking their violence with them to the new areas".[9] A 1982 analysis of crime fiction notes Knox's 1977 novel Pilot Error describing Strathclyde Police as being unconcerned about "neds" getting hurt in a fight as long as no one else is affected and translates the term as "Glasgow slang for hoods".[10]

In his 2002 autobiography Granny Made me an Anarchist, the Glaswegian writer Stuart Christie described the Glasgow "Neds" as preceding the Teddy Boys of 1955 as a hangover from the poverty of the 1930s. These "Neds" had long hair parted in the middle and smoothed down with liquid paraffin, commonly with a "dowt" tucked behind their ear as a fire hazard which in urban legend had resulted in one "Ned" getting severe burns. He describes them as slouching along with their elbows projecting aggressively, wearing a white silk scarf tucked into their tightly buttoned jacket, and carrying a cut-throat razor in its breast pocket. Over this, on outings for a fight or a dance, they allegedly wore an old tweed overcoat with weapons such as hatchets or hammers concealed in the lining. According to Christie, the "Teds" who followed them also had a reputation for wild behaviour, but were too concerned about their clothes to engage in aggression.[11]

Ned culture

In 2003, the Scottish Socialist Party MSP Rosie Kane tabled a question to the Scottish Parliament condemning use of the word ned which she said was degrading and insulting to young people as it stood for non-educated delinquent.[12] This is a widespread folk etymology, but appears to be a backronym arising long after the term came into use.[13]

A 2011 study using ethnography as a methodology of linguistic research found working-class adolescent males in a high school in the south side of Glasgow deploying a number of distinct social identities:

  • those identified as "neds" by themselves and others
  • "alternatives" (sometimes called "Goths" or "Moshers") who enjoyed rock music and wore black clothes
  • "sports" who enjoyed football and rugby and wore trainers and sports clothing
  • "schoolies" who generally did not play sports but played musical instruments.

Many pupils in the study distanced themselves from the stereotypes. Each group had a characteristic way of speaking and used this to create social identity. Those in the "ned" category, for example, lowered tones in words such as "cat" and extended the vowels. This in itself was insufficient to identify someone as being a "ned": consideration of clothing and social activities was also needed. Both the "neds" and the "sports" had an attitude of enjoying engaging in physical violence while the "schoolies" avoided violence, but antisocial behaviour was often only carried out by a small minority of adolescents. The "neds" were just as concerned about violence and crime as the other groups, but, unlike them, socialised in the street rather than being engaged in the school culture.[14]

In Dundee, the Roma word gadgie (a non-Roma man) has been used historically; however, ned has been introduced by popular culture. In all other parts of Scotland and in parts of northeast England (particularly Newcastle upon Tyne), gadgie remains current with its Roma meaning.

British psychologist Adrian Raine has expressed contempt for what he feels is the glorification of ned culture in the Scottish media. He has also opined that ned culture is closely correlated with psychopathy.[15]

By 2006, the term chav from the South of England[16] was used across the United Kingdom with ned often seen as the synonymous Scottish term. Other local terms are "schemies" in Edinburgh and "scallies" in Liverpool.[17]

Neds became a staple of Scottish comedy and neddish characters feature in sketch shows such as Chewin' the Fat,[3] Still Game, Limmy's Show, and Burnistoun. Scottish soap opera River City has featured neds such as Shellsuit Bob.[18]

Neds is a 2010 film by director Peter Mullan which won best film at the San Sebastian Film Festival in September 2010.[19]

gollark: My TIS-100 program.
gollark: No, it is not optimized.
gollark: For demonstration, here's a TIS-3D (basically TIS-100 in Minecraft) program which is for managing a fusion reactor by doing redstone IO.
gollark: TISKELL?
gollark: You can write compilers in, I don't know, TIS-100 assembly. Allowing you to write compilers is not much.

See also

References
  1. "ned". Dictionary of the Scots Language. Archived from the original on 27 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  2. BBC News - Ned arrives - it's official Archived 2004-06-07 at the Wayback Machine, 12 July 2001, retrieved 8 May 2006
  3. BBC News - Neds make it into the dictionary Archived 2006-05-19 at the Wayback Machine, 9 June 2005, reporting definition in Collins English Dictionary; retrieved 8 May 2006
  4. Middle class kids 'attracted to ned and chav culture' Archived 2018-11-12 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  5. "Oxford English Dictionary, definition of "ned", retrieved 1 June 2011". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  6. Sillitoe, Percy (1955). Cloak without dagger. p. 143.
  7. Stirling Observer counties edition, "Stop the Rise of the teen-ager" July 1960
  8. "The chavs and chav-nots in a bitter war of words - Scotsman.com News". Edinburgh Evening News. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
    Knox, Bill (1962). Little drops of blood. Published for the Crime Club by Doubleday. Archived from the original on 2017-02-28.
  9. Knox, Bill (1975). Rally to kill. Published for the Crime Club by Doubleday. neds.
  10. Dove, George N. (1982). The police procedural. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green University Popular Press. pp. 79–80. ISBN 0-87972-188-X.
  11. Christie, Stuart (2002). My Granny Made Me an Anarchist. Oil & Gas USSR. pp. 87–88. ISBN 1-873976-14-3.
  12. "BBC News | UK | Scotland | Holyrood urged to protect 'neds'". BBC News. 2003-06-05. Archived from the original on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
  13. Dr Alistair Fraser (2011). "Programme Note: NEDS". Glasgow Film Theatre. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-02-05.
  14. Andrew Denholm, Education Correspondent (21 January 2011). "Study shows 'neds display identity through their clothes and accents' - Herald Scotland | News | Education". The Herald (Glasgow). Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
    Fiona MacLeod (21 January 2011). "'Neds' have their own style of pronunciation to distinguish themselves, study says - Scotsman.com News". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
    "PME School Of English : Neds - it's all in the voice". Birmingham City University. 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
    Robert Lawson. "University of Glasgow :: Postgraduate Research :: Robert Lawson - University of Arizona". Archived from the original on 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2011-02-06. and Full Report Archived 2012-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
  15. Raine, Adrian. "21st Century Television's Faltering Moral Compass". The Economist. 8 April 2009.
  16. OED online, retrieved 21/3/11
  17. Beal, Joan C. (2006). Language and Region (Intertext). New York: Routledge. pp. 53–54. ISBN 0-415-36601-1.
  18. Traynor, Frances (7 August 2002). "BBC Scotland finally takes the wraps off its new show, River City". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  19. "BBC News - Peter Mullan's Neds wins film awards". bbc.co.uk. 2010-09-26. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
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