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A resident/inhabitant of Prague
Oct 2, 2010 21:22
13 yrs ago
English term

nurdling

Homework / test English Art/Literary Cinema, Film, TV, Drama
I’d read a story that he didn’t go to the premiere of The French Lieutenant’s Woman, but stayed at home re-tiling his kitchen. Was this true? ‘Actually, I was nurdling a floor from some greenhouses that were about to be demolished on Hampstead Heath.’
What’s nurdling? ‘Burgling abandoned property,’ he says with a faintly embarrassed grin.

(interview with Jeremy Irons)
Does he mean only 'burgling' or does that word mean anything else? Why is he talking about 'a floor'?
Responses
5 +1 burgling abandoned property
4 glueing down the floor tiles
References
Nurdling
nurdling

Discussion

Alexandra Taggart Oct 3, 2010:
The building which is designated for demolition cannot be entered because it is a private property, but the property owner wouldn't claim anyting dissapeared from the demolition company.A demolition manager could ask his friends/his neighbours if they wanted something from there.
Travelin Ann Oct 2, 2010:
I'm no Londoner but that point was not lost on me, either :)
B D Finch Oct 2, 2010:
Location, location, location! Londoners will note, without surprise, that Jeremy Irons nurdles on Hampstead Heath, rather than on Wormwood Scrubs or Clapham Common.
Travelin Ann Oct 2, 2010:
The flooring in the old greenhouse might be an attractive tile or old slate that he plans to recycle and use in another house. Greenhouses normally have flooring that is resistant to water, so slate or tile is a likely product.

Responses

+1
3 hrs
Selected

burgling abandoned property

If you visit this link, you will find the phrase in your example, and in the next paragraph "nurdling" is explained as "burgling abandoned property". "Nurdling" has other meanings in sports, etc., but in this case, the speaker explains what he means by the term, so there is no doubt.

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/celebr...

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Note added at 13 hrs (2010-10-03 11:02:08 GMT)
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Sorry. I only answered half of your question. He was taking up the floor. Maybe it was floorboards or tiles or something else removable. Basically, he was entering a property that was not his and taking something that was not his. The fact that the property was abandoned made his action "less wrong" (it might even be considered resourceful and recycling and therefore a good thing) and something that he could joke about.
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M
9 hrs
Thanks, Tony!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you very much!"
11 hrs

glueing down the floor tiles

"Nurdle" is a sticky gum like adhesive used to stick carpets to the floor before a new technology of using strips of spiky metal (grippers) bacame available.

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Note added at 1 day13 hrs (2010-10-04 11:16:29 GMT)
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"They're called nurdles.They're the raw materials of plastic production."
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/270/

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Note added at 1 day13 hrs (2010-10-04 11:18:51 GMT)
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http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2192543/what_is_a_n...

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Note added at 1 day14 hrs (2010-10-04 11:28:16 GMT)
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http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=nurdling carpets&btnG=S...
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : Yes, but the interviewee does actually go on to explain what he is using the term to mean here.
16 mins
Glueing."Nurdle" is something from a tube, shoe repairers call it "nurdle" too./What can I do?Impossible to google it.
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Reference comments

12 mins
Reference:

Nurdling

"Generally speaking, if you’re nurdling you’re faffing about doing nothing very constructive."
Reference:

http://wordsdomination.com/nurdling.html

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28 mins
Reference:

nurdling

It may (or may not...) be relevant to note that 'nurdling' was a favourite pastime of disrespectful schoolboys of JI's generation (of which I am a member myself) in which drawing pins were made to spin like miniature tops on the pock-marked surfaces of desks in the classrooms of mid 20th century England. The rules of the game had similarities with those of marbles and conkers, and it was the (almost) perfect antedote to the immensely boring French lessons imparted by 'monsieur' standing by the blackboard.

By extension, 'nurdling' took on a generic meaning along the lines of 'avoiding boredom' - which bring us back to the question posed here.
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree Alexandra Taggart : sticking drawing pins into the desk surface as well? Stick the tail on the donkey?
12 hrs
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