Just Ask

Jun 8 2008 Margret Campbell

Q SETTLE an argument - are the words ned and chav acronyms and, if so, what for? -

G. Blair, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire.

A BOTH terms have had acronyms applied to them but neither is the correct origin of the word. Ned - sometimes said to stand for Non-Educated Delinquent - is actually just a shortened form of the name Edward.

It was first used in a derogatory sense to apply to the Teddy-boys of the 1950s, whose distinctive dress was inspired by Edwardian fashions.

Chav - said to stand for Council House And Violent - comes from the Romany word chavi, meaning a naughty child.

Q CAN you give me any information about Jim Cronin who presented Monkey Business on TV with his wife Alison? I was sorry to hear he died recently. - J. Watson, Clydebank.

A CAMPAIGNER Jim, who set up the Monkey World sanctuary in Dorset in 1987, died on March 17 after a brief battle with liver cancer.

He was 55. He was born in Yonkers, New York, and became involved in animal welfare after he got a job at Bronx Zoo in the 70s.

By 1980 he had moved across the Atlantic to work at John Aspinall's zoo in Kent. He set up Monkey World after rescuing a group of nine baby chimps who were drugged and forced to work with beach photographers in Spain.

Over the years he has rescued primates from all over the world and his sanctuary now houses 160 abused or neglected monkeys and apes. The TV series Monkey Business was a hit all over the world. New programmes, recorded before Jim's death, will be shown in the autumn.

Q WHATEVER happened to the American folk singer Diane Solomon? - I.B. Sandilands, Alloa.

A DIANE was a huge star in the 1970s with her own BBC TV show and even appeared in The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show in 1976.

She was a regular guest in Countdown's Dictionary Corner. In 1985 she was part of a group who represented Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest, coming 13th with the song Children, Kinder, Enfants.

Diane is now living in the US - in Connecticut - where she retired from showbiz after developing ME.

This sparked an interest in homeopathy and nutrition - which she claims helped cure her - and she now writes extensively on the subject. She is also back performing and writing new songs.