A 's'cuse me mate' is either a male or female who approaches you to ask for something. The opening line is always 's'cuse me mate'..... Nine times out of ten they request a small sum of money ranging from 10p to 50p. There's often an elaborate story behind this such as having to make a phone call or getting a bus to Rochdale.
*Casually walking through Manchester City Centre and a scruffy looking man approaches*
s'cuse me mate... have you got 20p to borrow, cos what is it is yeahh, I've gotta get to Rochdale to pick up my job seekers intit'