What does Belm mean?

Belm is a municipality in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Wiehengebirge, approx. 7 km northeast of Osnabrück

Sticking your tongue into your lower lip, meaning "you're stupid". Originally done as an impression of someone with cerebral palsy (and therefore pretty offensive), these days I think people sometimes use it without meaning that.

Google is your friend

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=belm

I didn't realise that was where it originated from.

If youre over 30 - remember joey deacon from blue peter? it represents a dribbling spastic basically.

A common playground insult at my primary school. And still a common insult amongst a couple of my colleagues who are now part of a 'special' team.

ditto - and still quite a common insult amongst several of my mates

?? Dribbling spastic. Nick, you are so naughty.

I was *just* too young to understand it when I was at school. The older kids called each other Joey as an insult, so it trickled down to us. When they got told off they looked all innocent, saying "But a Joey is just a baby kangaroo, what's wrong with that?". For years I didn't get the Joey Deacon link, but had heard "joey" as an insult, and heard the baby kangaroo excuse, and was just really confused. I didn't know about Joey Deacon until I was about 22?

Deacon is an increasingly popular name for babies- there's a Deacon on BT, I think- and it always makes me think how young mothers are as I find it hard to imagine anyone of my age associating it with anyone other than JD.

Thank you, You know that as I read I Knownowts post I tried and it all makes sense now. I just didn't realise that particular facial expression is called a Belm.

I have now learnt something new today and yes I do remember doing it at school but I mainly remember using it as a form of communiation with my brothers.

Baron ??

so wrong, yet, brings back some good memories of school unfortunately ?

no soph i didnt mean it in a derogatory way. in fact, i got up and went to make a coffee, and actually wondered if the term "spastic" is actually ok to use anymore, and if it isnt, whats the right word?

hm well, you dont see too many Adolfs about, do you? ?

mind you, he was slightly more infamous than joey - but then virtually everyone of my age will know who joey was.

This thread is very informative as yes I also used to call my brothers Joey and really had no idea why? But now I do. Thank you

I didn't. But then I was locked away in a Convent boarding school, so the outside world didn't filter in!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UF6iVNkU1g

Wow, I'm in my mid - late thirties but didn't know about Joey.

The belm and calling someone a spastic was very common in my primary school though - so common that I really had to work to teach myself that it was a bad insult when I got older.

It used to go something like 'you spastic!' (belm) 'I'm telling on Sarah Smith, I'm telling on Sarah Smith'

Which is why Nick should have said "Scoper" , complete with belm.

Kids at my school preferred 'spaz' before graduating on to 'flid' at secondary school despite having absolutely no idea what the insult meant.

I don't think "spastic" is offensive- it's the right word- but it's easily misunderstood as so many people use it to mean "stupid". I think one would generally say "people with cerebral palsy".

Cerebral Palsy is now the correct term. The Spastic Society that was, changed its name when the word spastic became insulting and a derogatory way to describe someone.

Naughty Sophie ?

Where's Jesus when you need her - she loves these threads ?

We also used to call people Remys when I was at school and a friend had a baby a few months ago and called her Remy. I still have to hide my smurk when she talks about Remy.

I'm 31 and have never heard of Joey Deacon. But even if I had I have to admit I'd never have used it as a form of insult. Never knew that's what 'belm' meant either. I remember doing that face at school, but had no idea it was related to CP. If I had I wouldn't have used it (my best mate at primary school had a sister with very severe CP - no hearing, no sight, no control over any body movements, so it wasn't really something we took the piss out of tbh).

Spastic is definitely not 'ok' to use these days. I've worked with a number of people with CP and they just refer to the condition as that - cerebral palsy. There are different forms, one of which is spastic CP, but obviously that's different as you're specifying a particular kind of CP (there are 3 main 'forms' if memory serves).

I think it's difficult because also it was considered pejorative in the 80's, then that was that whole "reclaim" thing in the "right on" 90's and now UK opinion still appears divided. Some people still find it horribly offensive, as with retard, cripple, etc. but others think it harmless provided it's not used in a malicious fashion. It's further clouded by the fact that 'spaz' is used all the time in the US and it's not thought of as remotely offensive, it's just like calling someone clumsy - I remember that Tiger Woods furore, most Americans wondered what the big deal was and didn't know the origin of the word at all.

So I don't think it's one thing or another really - I guess if you're going to use it then you'd better be sure beforehand of the sensibilities of the person that you're conversing with... but to be fair that's true in life anyway.

As in Geri Halliwell's recent Time Out interview:

Geri: "The Queen epitomises what Girl Power stands for because she's maintained a durability and inner strength. I'm sure that, like all of us, she's had days where she didn't feel like showing up - but she always does. She has never spazzed out and lost her decorum."

Too long in America, I fear ?

“Flid” reminds me of an old joke.

DO NOT READ FURTHER IF EASILY OFFENDED






Three pregnant women are sitting the obstetrician’s waiting room, all busily knitting away at cute little pastel-coloured garments. First woman puts down her knitting and rummages in her bag, finds a bottle of pills and swallows one. The other two both ask: “Oooooh, what’s that you’re taking?”

She replies: “It’s folic acid; I want to make sure my baby develops healthily in the womb.” The others nod approvingly, and they all carry on knitting.

A few minutes later, the second woman rummages in her bag, takes out a bottle of pills and swallows one. The other two ask: “Ooooohhhh, what’s that then?”

She says: “It’s an iron supplement, to make sure I’m healthy for labour and birth.” And the other two nod approvingly and carry on knitting.

In due course woman 3 repeats the rummage, pills, swallow sequence. “Oooooohhh, what are you taking then?” the others ask.

“It’s thalidomide,” she replies, “I can’t knit sleeves.”

I made a bit of a mistake a few weeks ago when I was at a meeting.For some reason I kept getting two planned meetings on different dates mixed up, and everyone kept saying "No, it's the other day"

When I'd done it for a third time I said "Oh what's wrong with me today" and did a big Belm at myself.

Then I realised it was a Special Educational Needs meeting I was attending and it probably wasn't the most PC thing I could have done?

I blame Hitched naturally.

That's as un-pc as my ex-colleague doing the same during a staff meeting. We worked for a charity advocating for people with mental health issues and learning disabilities. Oops!

I remember it being done at school and the "joey" bit but don't remember the Blue Peter link nor did I realise it was originally to do with cerebral palsey.

My niece was going out with a boy called joey.

Everytime she mentioned his name I had to respond 'Joey is a very special boy' as that's what my mum use to say when me and my brother would call people a 'Joey'.

My niece had no idea what I was on about, but me and Mr MF would snigger at my humour (not really, I sniggered and Mr MF would roll his eyes).

yes, but then as i understand it, kids started calling one another "scoper". its like the term "idiot". it used to be a recognised medical term (not recently ? but then over time it became an insult and was dropped, but remains in use as an insult today. kids just find other terms. in our school it was spaz, spacker, flid, belmer (accompanied by the belm action whilst flapping ones arms close to ones body).

my friends son (13) just seems to call everyone wanker ?