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The Oggy Oggy Oggy chant (alternatively spelt Oggie Oggie Oggie), and its variations, are often heard at sporting events, political rallies and around numerous Scout and Guide campfires, primarily in Britain and some Commonwealth nations. One group will shout Oggy three times, while another will respond with Oi! three times.
The phrase may be of Cornish origin, possibly deriving from the Cornish language (a pasty is known in Devon and Cornwall as an Oggie, possibly deriving from "hoggan" - a Cornish word). The chant appeared in British sports grounds in the 1960s and 1970s, namely rugby union and football. Plymouth Argyle supporters have long used this as a chant. Welsh singer and comedian Max Boyce later popularised its use in Rugby Union, while in association football a popular variation was the “Ozzy Ozzy Ozzy” chant by Chelsea fans in homage to their star striker Peter Osgood. [1] When Margaret Thatcher became British Prime Minister in 1979 a variation of the chant, "Maggie Maggie Maggie, Out Out Out!", was adopted by some of her opponents. [2]
The usual form of the chant consists of two groups, one shouting the word "Oggy!" and the other group shouting the word "Oi!" Often a single individual will shout "Oggy" and everyone else will shout the reply, "Oi!". The words are shouted according to the following pattern.
Oggy Oggy Oggy!
Oi Oi Oi!
Oggy Oggy Oggy!
Oi Oi Oi!
Oggy!
Oi!
Oggy!
Oi!
Oggy Oggy Oggy!
Oi Oi Oi!
"Oggy" is a slang term for a Cornish pasty derived from its Cornish language name, "hogen", [3] and was used by local Cornish sailors throughout Cornwall as well as at the Devonport Dockyard in reference to pasty sellers who stand outside the gates. [4] The chant formed the traditional end to the Tiddy Oggy Song, the unofficial anthem of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment and The Devonport marines are still associated with the song Oggie Man by Cyril Tawney which they generally sing at public displays. [5]
Tin-miners' wives or pasty sellers supposedly shouted "Oggy Oggy Oggy" – the response from any hungry miner or labourer would be Oi!, Oi!, Oi!.[ citation needed ] The chant is also the chorus of a folk song and has always been heard at Cornish rugby matches so this seem another possible origin. [6]
The Oxford English Dictionary (2004) entry for "Oggy" states: "Oggy, noun. West Country regional (orig. Cornwall) and Navy slang. A Cornish pasty. Probably an alteration of Cornish hoggan pastry, pie (18th century), perhaps cognate with Welsh chwiogen muffin, simnel cake (1562), of unknown origin." [7]
Members of the Royal Navy claim to have used the chant, or a version of it, since the Second World War. [8] The 'Oggie, Oggie, Oggie' chant was used by supporters of the Royal Navy's Devonport Field Gun Team and by members of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment. (The field gun competition was discontinued in 1999 after a hundred years of competition and the infantry regiment folded into The Rifles in 2007). [9] [10]
It was then adopted at a few British football grounds at some point during the postwar period, and was certainly in common use by the 1960s most notably at Home Park amongst the supporters of Plymouth Argyle.
In the 1970s the Welsh folk singer and comedian Max Boyce popularised the chant to excite the crowd at his concerts. [1] Boyce is also a big rugby union fan, and through him it then began to be adopted by Welsh rugby union crowds at international matches. Soon it spread to rugby crowds at club and international level. In a patriotic outburst during her BAFTA Award acceptance speech in 2003 Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones shouted the chant. [11]
The chant was also used by Coventry City football fans during the 1980s and 1990s in appreciation to then goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic who had been nicknamed 'Oggy'.
It is also often used at sideshows on rides such as the Heartbreaker and the Waltzers, where the rides controller says "oggie, oggie, oggie" and the people on the ride shout 'oi, oi, oi" to get the ride to speed up or get more spins etc.
Oggy Oggy Oggy has long been a major chant within Scouting and Guiding, especially within the UK. "An Oggy" as it is termed within Troops and Units is usually used at Scouting events and as a way of expressing thanks to those within and outside Scouting.
Several variations of the "Oggy" chant have arisen as its cultural significance and recognition has grown. In the mid-1960s Hull City A.F.C. fans adapted it to "Waggy," to cheer for Ken Wagstaff and in the 1970s, Chelsea F.C. football fans changed it to "Ozzie," in honour of Peter Osgood, the footballer and speedway fans in the 70s and early 80s would chant "Ollie Ollie Ollie" to cheer on Danish rider Ole Olsen. [1] When Margaret Thatcher came to power in Britain in 1979 a variation of the chant ("Maggie Maggie Maggie, Out Out Out!") was adopted by some of her opponents. [2]
The "Oggy" chant was quite popular in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in the late 1970s and early 1980s at the matches of North American Soccer League version of the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Another variation is the "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi" chant. It had been heard at Australian sporting events as early as 1987. [12] The chant had found widespread popularity by the time of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. [13]
At Arizona Diamondbacks games during the 2008–09 seasons, fans would shout "Augie Augie Augie, Oi Oi Oi" in reference to utility infielder Augie Ojeda. (In many dialects of American English, "Augie" and "Oggy" are homophones).
At Seattle Storm WNBA basketball games, when Ezi Magbegor scores, the announcer chants, "Ezi, Ezi, Ezi," to which the fans repspond, "Oi, Oi, Oi!"
The chant has been adopted by the fans of English rugby union premiership side Wasps changing "Oggy" to "Allez" and "Oi" to "Wasps" and the Exeter Chiefs. replacing the word Oi with the word Chiefs.
The chant was also popular in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where a variation had fans of the Calgary Flames shout "Iggy, Iggy, Iggy, Oi Oi Oi" when Jarome Iginla fought or scored in a game. This was especially popular during his 50-goal season in the 2007–08 NHL season.
In Sweden, a popular version of the chant is "Bira Bira Bira, Bärs Bärs Bärs". Both words are slang for beer. It is used mostly among students and young people.
In France, there is another version: "Atchik Atchik Atchik, Aie Aie Aie". It's usually played in football match. This Tchik-atchik-atchik-aï-aï-aï is reminiscent of the song La Belle de Cadix by Francis Lopez.
The chant appeared with only the Oggies audible in the first episode of the second series of The Office, as a result of a conversation with the Oggmonster.
Cornwall is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised by Cornish and Celtic political groups as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, Devon to the east, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement is Falmouth, and the county town is the city of Truro.
Cornish is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language family. Along with Welsh and Breton, Cornish is descended from the Common Brittonic language spoken throughout much of Great Britain before the English language came to dominate. For centuries, until it was pushed westwards by English, it was the main language of Cornwall, maintaining close links with its sister language Breton, with which it was mutually intelligible, perhaps even as long as Cornish continued to be spoken as a vernacular. Cornish continued to function as a common community language in parts of Cornwall until the mid 18th century, and there is some evidence for traditional speakers of the language persisting into the 19th century.
"Maggie Out" was a chant popular during the miners' strike, student grant protests, poll tax protests and other public demonstrations that fell within the time when Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
A pasty is a British baked pastry, a traditional variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall, South West England, but has spread all over the British Isles, and elsewhere through the Cornish diaspora. It is made by placing an uncooked filling, typically meat and vegetables, in the middle of a flat shortcrust pastry circle, bringing the edges together in the middle, and crimping over the top to form a seal before baking.
Redruth is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The population of Redruth was 14,018 at the 2011 census. In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, which also includes Carn Brea, Illogan and several satellite villages, stood at 55,400 making it the largest conurbation in Cornwall. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road, and is approximately 9 miles (14 km) west of Truro, 12 miles (19 km) east of St Ives, 18 miles (29 km) north east of Penzance and 11 miles (18 km) north west of Falmouth. Camborne and Redruth together form the largest urban area in Cornwall and before local government reorganisation were an urban district.
A football chant or terrace chant is a form of vocalisation performed by supporters of association football, typically during football matches. Football chanting is an expression of collective identity, most often used by fans to express their pride in the team they support, or to encourage them, and to celebrate a particular player or manager. Fans may also use football chants to slight the opposition, and many fans sing songs about their club rivals, even when they are not playing them. Sometimes the chants are spontaneous reactions to events on the pitch.
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Cheering involves the uttering or making of sounds and may be used to encourage, excite to action, indicate approval or welcome.
Rugby union in Cornwall is Cornwall's most popular spectator sport with a large following. The followers of the national side are dubbed Trelawny's Army. In 1991 and 1999 Cornwall won the County Championship final played at Twickenham Stadium, beating Yorkshire and Gloucestershire respectively to win the Cup. They had another strong spell in the 2010s, reaching seven of the eight finals contested between 2013 and 2022, winning four of them.
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Cyril Tawney was an English singer-songwriter and a proponent of the traditional songs of the Southwest of England, as well as traditional and modern maritime songs.
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The Cornish diaspora consists of Cornish people and their descendants who emigrated from Cornwall, United Kingdom. The diaspora is found within the United Kingdom, and in countries such as the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the Samoas.
"Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi" is a cheer or chant often performed at Australian sport events. It is a variation of the Oggy Oggy Oggy chant used by both soccer and rugby union fans in Great Britain from the 1960s onwards. It is usually performed by a crowd uniting to support a sports team or athlete. The alternate is for an individual to chant the line "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!" and the crowd to respond with "Oi! Oi! Oi!".
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A hoggan or hogen is a type of flatbread containing pieces of pork, and often root vegetables, apple also becoming a popular addition, historically eaten by Cornish miners and labours in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Any food eaten by miners had to be tough to withstand the harsh conditions of the mines, and hoggans were said by one mining captain to be 'hard as street tiles'.
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