I love you mate

Ugh! I get called mate on the phone at work all the time, usually by annoying chavs looking to stick a voucher on their phone. Constantly have to hold back the urge to scream "I'm not your ******* mate you dirty little ned! I wouldnt **** on you if you were on fire!"
 
Good friends get call brethren at times, Depends on how many shandy's I've had.

We also use "Marra" in these parts.

This originates from the ship yards I believe.
 
I don't use he word 'mate' at all in that context. To friends it sounds completely impersonal, to strangers it's a flat-out lie. As such it annoys me when people use it towards me.
 
Words like 'mate' (male) and 'love' (female) are every-day in these parts. I think it comes down to location as much as anything. It'd be strange not to address someone as mate or love here; you'd sound rather cold. :) I realise it may sound daft but to my eyes it's strange to take offence to being called mate or whatever.

Are you that closed off and unfriendly that someone can't be your friend until proven otherwise? Everyone I meet is my mate or my love unless they clearly stop deserving it. :p
 
I prefer to think I'm amiable enough that I don't need to append an affectation to show I'm a friendly chap. :p I agree that location is the biggest factor in how it's perceived. Most of my family are from Yorkshire and they use 'love' a lot, not so much 'mate' though. It's of course affectionate and I take it as such. Maybe it's because where I'm from I'm more used to hearing 'mate' and 'love' being used derogatorily in arguments so I see it as patronising. Who knows?
 
Use mate all the time, good for talking to someone you don't realy know like lads doing work on your house, people who you stop and ask directions from, my window cleaner etc etc.

Sack it ! trying to give relevant examples for it, I use it for everyone apart from females and my Dad.

Lived in Manchester and surrounding areas all my life so it's Normal for me to use it and have it used on me..

This makes me laugh -
Belmit said:
I don't use he word 'mate' at all in that context. To friends it sounds completely impersonal, to strangers it's a flat-out lie. As such it annoys me when people use it towards me.
Click to expand...

No offence mate, but you sound like a threepenny bit mate :rolleyes:
 
Czech mates.


czech20republic1.jpg
 
Castiel said:
It has nothing to do with 'mating' it it just a anglicanism of the Dutch word 'Maat' which means friend.

It transfered into the anglo-dutch word 'Mate' in South Africa and Afrikaans over to the Victorians and so is simply another word spread and changed by the British Empire from one of it's colonies.
Click to expand...

etymonline.com has it as:

mate (n.)
"companion, associate, fellow, comrade," late 14c., from M.L.G. mate, gemate "one eating at the same table, messmate," from P.Gmc. *ga-maton "having food (*matiz) together (*ga-)," which is etymologically identical with companion (q.v.). Meaning "one of a wedded pair" is attested from 1540s. Used as a form of address by sailors, laborers, etc., since at least mid-15c. Meaning "officer on a merchant vessel is from late 15c. The verb, of animals, "to pair for the purpose of breeding" is first recorded c.1600. The verb in chess (early 14c.) is short for checkmate (q.v.) and is not related.

So in fact the meaning of mate as friend was in use a good couple of hundred years before the other meaning.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom