Why "Toon Army"?

[pikey]

I'm looking for the answer to a question I have been unable to find Google or Wikipedia.

Why are Newcastle United fans called Toon Army?

[ewenm]

Is it to do with the river Tyne?

[NiceCupOfTea]

Is it Toon = Town (up the toon)?

[dmitsi]

Back in the day when you'd get attendances upward of 100,000 fans, the town centre would be awash with black and white and I guess it looked a bit like an army. Toon is northern for town. Toon Army.

ETA one of the chants at the matches is 'Toon toon black and white army...' repeated etc.

Edited by dmitsi on Tuesday 25th July 16:06

[minimax]

"toon" is geordie for "town" which is how geordies refer to Newcastle. as in: "haway man divvent be such a pansy let's gan t' the toon an have a few bottles o' dog like"



i've become quite the expert on geordie, mackem and borough language since I moved back here...although I still have to ask my staff to speak slowly or repeat themselves sometimes..on occasion I get them to write it down

[hugoagogo]

NiceCupOfTea said:

Is it Toon = Town (up the toon)?

yes, it's town = newcastle united

[minimax]

as an aside, my father used to refer to the toon army as "the tidal wave of support for newcastle FC"

[hugoagogo]

minimax said:

i've become quite the expert on geordie, mackem and borough language since I moved back here...although I still have to ask my staff to speak slowly or repeat themselves sometimes..on occasion I get them to write it down

how man, divvent taak shite man

did you hear about the durham miner who went to the doctor with a bad back
doctor: "can you walk?"
miner: work? ah cannat even waak man!"

or the man in the geordie clothes shop
"do you sell shorts?"
"aye, d'ye want lang sleeved or short sleeved like?"

or the teacher in a geordie school
"can you see the board?"
"ah cannat even see a bord cage!"

[Balmoral Green]

Beckham joke about Toon army and Tsunami please, I cant remember it

[Killer2005]

More like Cartoon army

[sleep envy]

Killer2005 said:

More like Cartoon army

better start running

[minimax]

hugoagogo said:

minimax said:

i've become quite the expert on geordie, mackem and borough language since I moved back here...although I still have to ask my staff to speak slowly or repeat themselves sometimes..on occasion I get them to write it down

how man, divvent taak shite man

did you hear about the durham miner who went to the doctor with a bad back
doctor: "can you walk?"
miner: work? ah cannat even waak man!"

or the man in the geordie clothes shop
"do you sell shorts?"
"aye, d'ye want lang sleeved or short sleeved like?"

or the teacher in a geordie school
"can you see the board?"
"ah cannat even see a bord cage!"

it's exactly like that in my office!


every sentence has "like" or "man" on the end of it...usually indignation means that "man!" will be added as in "haway an' f**k off man!" whereas like has many more uses, for example when confused "eeeee ah divvent knaaa like!" I like the geordie accent

[v15ben]

minimax said:

on occasion I get them to write it down

They can write?

Edited by v15ben on Tuesday 25th July 16:31

[minimax]

sleep envy said:

Killer2005 said:

More like Cartoon army

better start running

dunno if that'll do any good - broken bottles of brown ale fly straight and true and for a long way!

[minimax]

v15ben said:

minimax said:

on occasion I get them to write it down

They can write?

Edited by v15ben on Tuesday 25th July 16:31

says the man who has to edit his 3 word post

[towman]

dmitsi said:

Back in the day when you'd get attendances upward of 100,000 fans, the town centre would be awash with black and white

So is it the "Toon Platoon" these days?

[minimax]

towman said:

dmitsi said:

Back in the day when you'd get attendances upward of 100,000 fans, the town centre would be awash with black and white

So is it the "Toon Platoon" these days?

it's still an army really - the centre of newcastle is packed with beshirted men and women (I use the loosest possible definition here) in the streets and the pubs when the match is on at home. the atmosphere in the drinking houses can easily get out of hand if anyone says anything out of turn

[tonto]

minimax said:

"toon" is geordie for "town" which is how geordies refer to Newcastle. as in: "haway man divvent be such a pansy let's gan t' the toon an have a few bottles o' dog like"



i've become quite the expert on geordie, mackem and borough language since I moved back here...although I still have to ask my staff to speak slowly or repeat themselves sometimes..on occasion I get them to write it down

Sorry Tom, can you write a bit slower, I can't understand your southern accent!

P.S. Its Boro not Borough as in ;
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Typical phrase issued by a Boro town centre pub frequenter after you've accidently spilled his pint

"Wozamara, sickalivin?"

Edited by tonto on Tuesday 25th July 17:07

[minimax]

yeah that's true it is in fact boro isn't it

i'm still learning this accent you see

funny thing is, if I don't attune my ears and actually think about what they're saying in the office to me then I cannot make it out at all! for instance at the moment the lister is talking to one of the negs not ten feet away and unless I read her lips I just hear melodic babble..going to have to work harder on this...

[Byff]

Tom's turning into the oracle of Newcastle.