Why are Newcastle called "Toon"?

[seagull over spain]

Any further problems with understanding Geordie use the following

http://www.geordie.org.uk/

 

[Brovion]

Newcastle supporters may be referred to as the Toon army (Toon is a version of the name of the river - Tyne).

What did that bloke, Roy Walker, say on 'Catchphrase' when somebody was totally wrong? "It's good but it's not right"

'Toon' is nothing to do with Tyne and as has been said comes from the Geordie pronunciaton of 'Town' as in 'gannin doon the toon' which they say as an alternative to "I'm just going to visit Newcastle City Center'.

This isn't the first attempt to phonetically reproduce a local Geordie football expression, when I was growing up you'd often read about the Newcastle hero 'Wor' Jackie Milburn. For a while I thought 'wor' was some Geordie version of 'sir' until I eventually found out it was an attempt to convey in letters the Geordie pronunciation of 'our'.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

What did that bloke, Roy Walker, say on 'Catchphrase' when somebody was totally wrong? "It's good but it's not right"

'Toon' is nothing to do with Tyne and as has been said comes from the Geordie pronunciaton of 'Town' as in 'gannin doon the toon' which they say as an alternative to "I'm just going to visit Newcastle City Center'.

So we still haven't got the answer to the original question:- why are they called the Toon?

Aa've always thowt tha The Toon might be caal'd "The Toon" cos St James's Pork is close te the Toon Moor.

The Toon Moor an the footie grund are both in the toon centre. Fowk taak aboot "Gannin doon the toon" when they are off te watch the Magpies.

Wheyaye.

 

[Lammy]

It's because (and I've been told this by a geordie in the past) that when they are talking about going to see Newcastle United play they say they are "Gannin too toon" to watch them play. Toon is indeed a play on the way they pronounce the word Town.

Simple really. How it took off as a name for them is another question...

 

[Brovion]

So we still haven't got the answer to the original question:- why are they called the Toon?

True enough. Why isn't every team just called 'Town'?

 

[Lammy]

Because no one else says Toon when they mean Town. If we had a funny way of saying Town, say Tin. Whould we be the Tin army?