Scottish Book Week is winding its way round to us again and this year they are holding a vote to find the best Scottish word.
There's been a bit of debate here. There are 4 languages spoken in Scotland ( five if you count continuous swearing ). English, Scots, Doric and Gaelic. The politicians do pander to Gaelic, as the other three blend together, often delineated by geography. But the amount of money pumped into supporting Gaelic, I personally find a little offensive. Our NHS is on it's knees, but millions is poured into a language spoken by less than 1% if we count native speakers.
Anyway, more fun things. The best Scottish word used in everyday parlance. Which one do you like?
1) BURN a wee river
2) CLYPE a snitch. She's a right wee clype her!
3) COALY BACK... a child being carried on an adults shoulders, like a sack of coal one presumes.
4) BEASTIE a small insect, or an affectionate term for a big beast.
5) GLAIKIT that look on a person's face when they have no idea at all. Can also mean a slight daft
person.
6) TOTIE even smaller than wee, A certain president has wee totie hands. Pronounced toatie.
7) GUISING to go out in fancy dress, I don't see what that's considered Scottish as it's root maybe Guy Fawkes type of guising. Or maybe the root is disguising.
8) STAPPIT blocked. My sinks stappit. I wonder if folk are Stappit on facebook nowadays.
9) GLOAMIN one of my favourite words. It's that gentle light of twilight, a restful time of subdued colour and mood. And it rhymes so well with roaming.
10) WABBIT to look pale, tired and listless.
11) DREICH when it can't be bothered to rain properly, and you get soaked walking through it
12) HAVER talking rubbish enthusiastically. Politicians do that a lot.
13) SMIRR the rain that's a little more than dreich. We have a lot of works for rain.
14) SMOORIKIN to snog, kiss, coorie in, hug
15) DWAM to float away in a day dream....constantly
16) KEN to know.... from the German I'd presume.
17) BESUM a right cheeky wee monkey, usually female. We'd say Bissim.
18) FANKLE two puppies and a ball of string, the resulting mess is a fankle.
19) NEEPS turnips.
20) EEKSIE PEEKSIE We'd say Eachy Peachy, not sure that's peculiarly Scots - it means equal.
21) BRAW either really good, or really cold! It's a bit braw this morning! said nobody in Dallas ever!
22) NYAFF in bad taste, usually in a height of fashion sense, 'She looks dead nyaff in that.' Some cars would be described as nyaff.
23) BUMFLE when something that should be smooth is ruffled, esp fabric. That duvet has a bit bumfle in it.
24) OUTWITH a perfectly sensible world. Very sensible indeed
25) PIECE two slices of bread with jam in between. When taken to eat at school, it is a playpiece.
26) SITOOTERIE a eating place where you can sit outside. Dog owners often look for a sitooterie.
27) SHOOGLE what happens in a car on a bumpy road, you get shoogled aboot!
28) SLEEKIT slightly sly, there's shininess / smoothness to the word as well, a fox would be sleekit, as would a well groomed supermodel.
29) SCUNNER a disliking due to having too much off- I'm fair scunnered with that chocolate. Or, more commonly. 'I'm fair scunnered with that book, I wish I was finished it.'
30) WHEEST,, Be quiet! So I will be!
I'd go with gloamin although beastie is very appealing too.
ReplyDelete:-) Love the Scottish aptitude for swittin words ootaire. I think my favorite from the list is SITOOTERIE, it just rolls off the tongue so nicely.
ReplyDeleteClype, gaikit, or shoogle!
ReplyDeleteI'm just drawn to BUMFLE, and paired with WABBIT, I DRAM of a line of "Bumfle Wabbit" stuffed animals SMOORIKIN by COALY BACK kids.
ReplyDelete