Thursday 23 May 2013

Muckles of words in the Scots lied;

Muckles of words in the Scots lied;

Auld Lang Syne ~ "Old Long Since"

Aye ~ Yes

Ba-Heids ~ A pompous ass (pronounced "baw-heed")

Bairns ~ Young children of either gender

Bampot ~ A crazy person

Bannock ~ A flat cake made of oats, barley or pease meal.

Bauchle ~ Originally a scuffed old shoe, later a slovenly person (pronounced "bawkhle")

Bawbee ~ Originally a Scottish coin worth six pence, now used to refer to any small change

Bidie-in ~ An unmarried live-in boy or girlfriend

Bing ~ A large mound formed by the slag waste from a nine or quarry

Blather-skate ~ Someone who rambles on at great length without saying anything of meaning

Bothy ~ A small hut

Brownie ~ In Scottish mythology a fairy, usually of a helpful nature to good hardworking people, especially farmers

Burn ~ A river or stream (from the gealic)

Canna ~ Can not or can't Champit ~ Something that has been mashed, usually food, ie; Potatoes or yams

Cludgie ~ A washroom

Corrie-Fisted ~ A left handed person (from the gealic "cearr")

Coup ~ As a verb; to topple, or turn over. As a noun a mess or a rubbish heap (pronounced "kowp")

Dinna ~ Did not or Didn't

Dreekit ~ Drenched or soaked

Dreeth ~ Parched, thirsty

Dumfoonert ~ Stunned speechless

Eeksie-Peeksie ~ Equal or level, also used to describe a tied game

Feesty ~ Damp or mouldy, usually for food

Fouter ~ To dither, stall or procrastinate (pronounced "footer")

Gaishon ~ An extreamly thin person

Gies ~ A contraction for "Give us" which can be both singular or plural

Gill ~ A liquid measure equal to a quarter pint, usually used for liquor

Girdle ~ A cooking griddle

Guttered ~ Falling down, passed out drunk, ie: In the gutter

Haiver ~ To talk nonsense

High heid yin ~ A boss or supervisor, or someone with a bossy high-handed manner

Hive ~ Hunger

Howff ~ A low class bar or dive

Howtowdie ~ A chick, can be used to refer to a bird or a young girl

Huckle ~ To shove, tackle or manhandle

Jaggy ~ Originally a stinging nettle, later anything prickly or jagged, can also be a person with a prickly temper

Jock Tamsen's bairns ~ A phrase used to mean "We are all related", as in "We are all Jock Tamsen's bairns"

Kelpie ~ In Scottish mythology a magical horse-like creature who lives in running streams

Ken ~ Knowledge or understanding

Law ~ A round, man-made hill or mound

Leid ~ Language

Loch ~ Lake

Lum ~ A chimney

Muckle ~ Used to describe any large amount, number or size

Nae ~ No (pronounced "Nay")

Neuk ~ A strip of land jutting into the sea

Peely-Wally ~ Pale looking

Pibroch ~ A mournful air played on a bagpipe (pronunced "pibrokh")

Quaich ~ A shallow two handed drinking cup

Red-Cap ~ In Scottish mythology an evil goblin who's cap is died in the blood of it's victims

Scunnered ~ To be fed up of something

Shieling ~ A temporary hut or lean-to, used in remote areas

Skean-dhu ~ A samall dagger worn in the top of a stocking with a kilt (from the gealic)

Skew-whiff ~ To be lopsided or askew

Sonsie ~ A plump healthy child

Tam ~ AKA Tam O' Shanter; a flat round cap somewhat resembling a beret, sometimes with a pompom and/or a tassel

Tatties ~ Potatoes

Trews ~ Originally any trousers, now specifically those of a tartan design

Wabbit ~ To be tired or rundown

Wean ~ A baby