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Scottish English Dictionary
Scottish English
A
academy............high school
advocate...........barrister/solicitor/lawyer
airt..............direction/quarter/point of the compass
Arbroath smokie........haddock smoked to a sooty copper colour
ashet..............meat plate (enamelled metal)
auld lang syne.....days of long ago
Auld Reekie........Edinburgh (Old Smokie)
aye................always/forever
B
baillie............magistrate
bairn..............child
bannock............thick oatmeal cake
bap................white bread roll
bauchle............badly worn shoe
bawbee.............half penny
beadle.............verger
ben................mountain
ben the hoose......in the house
besom..............broom / slut
biggin.............building
birk...............birch
birl...............spin around
black bun..........spiced fruit loaf eaten at New Year
blate..............slow/backward/shy
blether............talk/talk nonsense
boiling............boiled sweet
bonny..............pretty
bonspiel...........curling match
bothy..............farm cottage
bourtree...........elder tree
brae...............hill
bramble............blackberry
braw...............beautiful
brig...............bridge
bubblyjock.........turkey
burgh..............borough
burn...............brook/stream
but and ben........two roomed house
buttery............type of breakfast roll
byre...............cowshed
C
cairn..............a pile of stones marking a particular spot or path
canny..............careful
cauld..............weir
ceilidh............informal evening of song, dance and story / dance
champit tatties....mashed potatoes
clachan............small village
clamjamphrie.......rubbish/rabble
clan...............tribe bearing the same surname
clapshot...........mixture of boiled mashed potatoes and turnips
clarty.............dirty
clerkess...........female clerk/typist
close..............narrow passage between buildings or a tennement doorway
clype..............tell tales/sneak
coble..............a flat bottomed boat for salmon fishing
cone...............ice-cream cornet
cookie.............bun
corbie.............crow
coup...............rubbish tip/overturn
couthy.............cosy
craik..............harp on
creeshie...........greasy
croft..............small-holding in the highlands / small farm
crowdle............cream cheese
cry................call, to be called ( what do you cry him )
cuddie.............horse/nag (derogatory)
D
deave..............deafen
ding...............hit/deal a blow
dink...............neat/trim
dirk...............Highland dagger worn in the sock
dirl...............vibrate
doocot.............dovecote
douce..............sweet/gentle
dour...............hard/obstinate/grim
dram...............a Scotch-drink
dross..............coal slack
drouthy............dry/wanting rain/thirsty
dunt...............thump/bump
dwam...............swoon/Faint
E
elder.............office bearer in the Presbyterian church
ettle..............intend/aspire
F
factor.............manager of estate/steward
fair...............quite
far ben............on very friendly terms
fash...............trouble/annoy
fernitickles.......freckles
feu................to let in perpetuity a piece of land on which feu duty is paid
feu duty/tack duty....types of ground rent
finnock............young sea trout
finnan haddie......kind of smoked haddock
firth..............estuary/strait
fitba..............football/rugby in the borders
flesher............butcher
flype..............to turn partly outside in eg socks
foosty.............mouldy/musty
forbye.............besides
forenoon...........morning
forfochen..........worn out
frae...............from
fresher............1st year undergraduate
G
gang...............go
gangin` body.......tramp
gate/gait..........street
ghillie............gamekeeper
gigot..............leg of mutton
gin................if
girdle.............griddle
glaichit/glaikit...stupid
girn...............snarl/whimper/grumple
glaur..............mud
gleg...............alert/spry
glen...............valley
gowan..............daisy
greet..............cry/weep
grossart...........gooseberry
guid...............good
guiser.............a person in disguise
gyte...............daft/crazy
H
haar...............mist off North sea ( east coast only )
haud...............hold
haugh..............water-meadow
haver..............dither/blether
hen................dear (person) (W. of Scotland)
herd...............shepherd
highers............Scottish School Leaving Certificate
Hogmanay...........New Years Eve
hoolit.............owl
hough..............ham shank
howff..............haunt/resort
howk...............dig
hurl.............wheel along, ride in a car/bus etc.
I
ilk...............of the same name, Family
ilka..............each/every
inch tape.........tape measure
interval..........school break
J
jalouse...........guess
jotter............exercise book
K
keek..............look/observe furtively
ken...............know
kirk..............church
kist..............chest/coffin
kye...............cow
L
lade..............mill stream
laigh/laich.......low
laird.............lord of the manor/squire
lang-shankit......long - legged
lassie............girl
links.............golf course by the sea
loaning...........field
loch..............lake
loon(Aberdeen)....lad
Lord Lyon.........Chief Herald of Scotland
lug...............ear
lum...............chimney
Lyon Court........Scottish College of Arms
M
manse.............vicarage
mask the tea......brew/make the tea
mind..............remember
moss..............moor
muckle/meikle.....big
muir..............moor
murky.............dark
N
neb...............nose
neep..............turnip
Ne'erday..........New Years Day
nicht.............night
nippet............tight-fitting
O
orra..............odd
orraman...........farm labourer/odd job man
oxter.............armpit
P
pancake...........dropped scone
partan............crab
pawkies...........mittens
pawky.............humorous
peely wally.......pale/wan/out of sorts
peevers...........hopscotch
pend..............vaulted passage
period............full stop
pibroch...........form of bagpipe music, single piper
pinky/pinkie......little finger
pirn..............reel/bobbin
poke..............paper bag
pouch.............pocket
press ............wall cupboard
provost/Lord Provost......mayor/Lord Mayor
puddock...........frog
Q
quaich............shallow drinking cup with 2 ears (for whisky)
quean.............girl/female
R
rector............headmaster of an academy/vicar
reek/reekie.......smoke/smokie
riever............sheep/cattle stealer
rone/rhone........rainwater gutter
roup..............auction
S
sair..............sore
scunner...........nuisance/sicken/disgust
sept..............branch of clan
sett..............pattern of tartan
shack/shoogle.....shake
shilpit...........weak/timid
shinty............game like hockey played in the highlands
skelp.............slap
skelly eyed.......squint eyed
skirl.............shriek/sing shrilly as in bagpipes
skreich...........shriek
skreich of day....day-break/cock crow
slaister..........make a mess
sleekit...........sly/cunning/smooth
slider............ice-cream between wafers
smirr.............fine rain
sneck.............door latch
snib..............bolt/latch on the window
sort .............mend/fix
souter............shoemaker
spirtle...........stick for stirring porridge
stay..............live ( where do you stay)
stoor.............dust/dirt
stot..............bounce
stravaig..........stroll/saunter
strath............valley/plain beside river
syne..............rinse
T
tapsalteerie......upside down
tattie bogle......scare-crow
tattie howker.....potato picker
thirl.............bind/subject
thole.............endure
thrang............very busy/crowded
thrapple..........throat
tolbooth..........old town hall (often with prison)
trauchie..........trail along
trauchled.........tired and bothered
tup...............ram
twa...............two
W
wabbit............exhausted
wan...............one
waur..............worse
wean..............child
wee...............small
whaup.............curlew
wheen, a..........a few/a good many
whigmaleerie......trinket/knick knack
whin..............gorse
writer............lawyer/solicitor
wynd..............lane
Y
yett..............gate
yin/ane...........one
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