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Mprs

Thanks for your interesting post. The friend from Liverpool I mentioned, and others I know, are happy to be referred to as "Scousers". Rather like Cockneys, not considered offensive at all. Scouser is the person and scouse the stew, as Chrise said. I think the origin is Scandinavian.

There seems to be several Liverpool (Scouse) accents. I think the middle class ones e.g. Lennon/ McCartney are easy to follow, but with some footballers I have heard on TV, very difficult.

I think your student would have been pleased to be called a Scouser.

Thank you for the explanation. Agree, as with many regional dialects/accents, there are variations. The student I mentioned definitely had a heavier accent than, say, the Beatles. Side note: I was reading a book about the Beatles not long ago, and apparently John was considered rather "posh" by the others.

Mathprof

I am from Liverpool and I still live near the city. I have always been happy to be referred to as a Scouser, but I think this is a modern word. My parents and relatives always referred to fellow citizens as "wackers".

malone

You complained recently about the old actor, Tree, appearing in crosswords. What did you think of the countertenor, Deller, in the Times yesterday. How many people have heard of him, or countertenor, even?

If the setter had to use Deller, why not refer to the world Darts champion, who is much more famous?

mathpro

Yes I think John was considered rather posh. I have visited the Beatles houses and he certainly lived in the nicest of them.

Some famous Liverpudlians have shown barely a trace of a Liverpool accent, e.g. George Melly, Tom Baker and Jigjag.

Grunger

Sorry, I forgot to remark on your earlier post. 'Maidservant' was what I'd come up with - simply maid +servant... and a reminder that I'm not a great fan of straight crosswords!

Malone

re Dellers and fame

I was able to recall the Alfred Deller Consort without looking it up, but did not remember the Deller darts player's first name, Keith.

I think the Times cultural profile is more concert hall than the beer swilling Lakeside, Frimley Heath.

I also wonder if the Times is reluctant to use living persons within a solution or clue, just as it eschews them in the final solution. By the way, Giscard d'Estaing did finally die recently - he was referred to on this site as a Times crossword solution when he was still alive.

Hope it's OK to go back to "Scouse". I went to school in Liverpool (taking the furry across the Mersey. It's also the shuggar plume furry)
I wouldn't have minded being called scouse, though my mother would have been mortified. We also called hot-pot "scouse" (though not at home) or, if no meat, blind scouse.
I don't think the word was derogatory

Insead of "Pardon, my good man", correct Liverpudian at the time would be "Yer wot, wack?"
My favourite scouse saying (other than the rude ones) is an exortation to a football player "Ger yer leg out the one knicker".

RIP Gerry Marsden.

Indeed mpfs