It's the go to word when Chatters would like to call someone a ****, **** or even ******-******.
I'd always thought it was one of those words invented by sitcoms in the '70s and '80s as substitute swearing in situations where any real-life protagonist would bring forth a stream of potty-mouthed invective. I think I remember a documentary about Ronnie Barker where they came up with 'naff-oorf' instead of '****-oorf for Porridge, and then there's always 'Rodney you muppet' instead of 'Rodney you ****'!
So imagine my delight when when reading George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London" to find an actual definition - a "nobber" is a beggar or street performer's assistant who would accost spectators for money......
"You really want a nobber at this game. You keep at work and get a crowd watching you, and the nobber comes casual-like round the back of them. They don't know he's the nobber. Then he suddenly pulls his cap off, and you get them between two fires like. You'll never get a drop of real toffs. It's shabby sort of blokes you get most off, and foreigners....."
The book also reminds you why we have a welfare state, but I'll leave that one to P&L or whatever it's called these days.
I'd always thought it was one of those words invented by sitcoms in the '70s and '80s as substitute swearing in situations where any real-life protagonist would bring forth a stream of potty-mouthed invective. I think I remember a documentary about Ronnie Barker where they came up with 'naff-oorf' instead of '****-oorf for Porridge, and then there's always 'Rodney you muppet' instead of 'Rodney you ****'!
So imagine my delight when when reading George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London" to find an actual definition - a "nobber" is a beggar or street performer's assistant who would accost spectators for money......
"You really want a nobber at this game. You keep at work and get a crowd watching you, and the nobber comes casual-like round the back of them. They don't know he's the nobber. Then he suddenly pulls his cap off, and you get them between two fires like. You'll never get a drop of real toffs. It's shabby sort of blokes you get most off, and foreigners....."
The book also reminds you why we have a welfare state, but I'll leave that one to P&L or whatever it's called these days.
