Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'

Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'
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Dialects

Posted by Elizabeth on 24/7/2025, 11:21 am

do any of the older people on here remember the stern warnings of Mam & Dad who threatened us with the "POLIS" if we did naughty things. The word Policeman just didn't seem to exist!!!

Re: Dialects

Posted by Norman Dunn on 24/7/2025, 11:45 am, in reply to "Dialects"

Hi Elizabeth,
Good to see you back on the board.
YES i remember the word POLIS aswell .

Re: Dialects

Posted by Malcolm on 24/7/2025, 11:45 am, in reply to "Dialects"

Yes, Elizabeth, I DO recall that threat, on occasion.

Maybe it's from the Scottish, POLIS is Gaelic for Police, and are referred to as Polis, up here in Bonnie Scotland!

Re: Dialects

Posted by Sheila on 24/7/2025, 12:00 pm, in reply to "Re: Dialects"

Yes often as a child. I believe you are correct Malcolm, definitely the Scot’s who brought it to Hebburn.

Re: Dialects

Posted by Liz Dance on 24/7/2025, 12:11 pm, in reply to "Re: Dialects"

People living in the north east use dialects from a few places, Scotland and Scandinavia being but 2, and yes I remember being told the ‘polis’ would come if i continued being naughty.

Re: Dialects

Posted by Joseph on 24/7/2025, 12:28 pm, in reply to "Re: Dialects"

Can't remember the.last time I seen a polis never mind getting rollicked off one.

Re: Dialects

Posted by Mac Hardy on 24/7/2025, 1:09 pm, in reply to "Re: Dialects"

Also ‘The Bobby’.

Re: Dialects Bobby and Polis

Posted by Mac C on 24/7/2025, 2:48 pm, in reply to "Re: Dialects"

Bobby as in Sir Robert Peel whose statue resides near me in Tamworth.
And yes Polis was widely used in Jarrow in my Youth

Re: Dialects Bobby and Polis

Posted by Brian on 24/7/2025, 3:39 pm, in reply to "Re: Dialects Bobby and Polis"

We tend to associate dialects with the spoken word but we also have dialect differences in British Sign Language with signing differences for certain words in different parts of the UK.

Re: Dialects

Posted by Jackie W on 24/7/2025, 6:18 pm, in reply to "Dialects"

I mostly remember my Nana in Felling threatening my brother with The Polis!
I like that word but also am quite fond of the Liverpool version.. The Bizzies for police

Dialects

Posted by Peter on 24/7/2025, 6:31 pm, in reply to "Dialects"

My grandma always referred to the police as the polis.

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