I'm trying to research the usage of the word "Gavver". It's commonly used in North Kent as a slang term for the police. As in "run, the gavvers are coming" or "I've been nicked, I'm at the gavver station. It's not a derogatory term like 'filth' or 'pigs' but general slang like 'rosser' or 'old bill'. Could you reply with your location and whether or not it's common in your area?
Dave, I've never heard the term, either in London where I grew up or in SE Kent where I've lived for more than twenty years. Nor, in fact, have I ever heard *of* it.
Bert
The Urban Dictionary however *has* heard of it:
Bert
South London/Sussex... never heard it.
In message , David Lang writes
Haven't we had this conversation, or was that elsewhere? Anyway, yes, I heard it at school 50 years ago, North Herts, but not common. Rozzers was probably more common.
Leics (and originally Lincs) ... I'd never heard the term until you mentioned it previously.
I grew up (40s & 50s) in North Kent and never heard of it.
home counties and east anglia. Never heard of it either place
Not in east Kent. Or in Brighton.
One of the most common ones in my part of Brighton was the 'bules'.
My son lives in North Kent. I was at a family function the other day and was talking to one of his older neighbours, who was complaining about the number of "pikeys" (his word) in this area these days (though he implied that there'd always been a presence). He said it was to do with the amount of building (i.e. casual jobs) in the area.
Very often words like this originate with the "travelling folk" as they like to call themselves.
But Dave -- you'd know this, being a Kent native?
J.
I believe its a Romany word, or derived from one, like Chav.
Born & raised in East London :-) Emigrated to Kent 30 years ago!
Should that be "blues"?
I never heard it at school in/near Maidstone in the late 50s/60s; nor in South Essex/East London before or after. And my parents were from East London and Maidstone(ish) respectively so used the respective vernaculars.
But then we rarely had contact with Romanies.
Maybe a corruption of the Irish 'Garda'.
Cheers
No. It was short for 'consta-bules'.
Scuffers, too, round our way.
Bluebottles. Rozzers and then the fuzz or the filth.
South London born and bred, moved to West London as a teenager, University in Canterbury Kent and now living near Southampton, I have never heard the term.
Bob
Did I know you went to Kent? Because, if so, I'd forgotten.
(Reprise a discussion about how many Kent graduates are on here)
Please remind me of when/what!
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