Smoggy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the show, see The Smoggies
Smoggy is a term that refers to people from the Teesside conurbation, in North-Eastern England. This is a grouping of the boroughs of Redcar & Cleveland, Middlesbrough, and Stockton-on-Tees (although Teesside is also sometimes said to include the boroughs of Hartlepool and Darlington, they are not included in this description, the five boroughs are increasingly known as forming Tees Valley).
The term itself is a contraction of the pejorative term "smog-monster' finding its origin in the air pollution caused by Teesside's formerly huge industrial areas. It is most often used by Geordies or Mackems in an attempt to goad Teessiders, suggesting that of the three large urban centres in the North-East of England Teesside is the worst place to live. The term is of recent origin (coined around 1991).
Unlike most other nicknames or slurs for groups or races, people of Teesside took on the term happily, and a common motif for Teessiders away from Teesside is "Smoggies on tour". This is especially true at football matches, with Middlesbrough Football Club's fans adopting the name to indicate their support.
The term "Smoggy" has gained such a level of acceptance on Teesside that the Middlesbrough branch of the HMV shop sells a range of Smoggy related products, notably T-shirts.
