Scottish words: guddle

Guddle means a complete mess. It’s most often used to describe the state of a room or the kitchen. It’s a complete guddle – meaning the place is very untidy, so bad that you don’t know where to begin with the cleaning up.

Or a person might say “I’m in a right guddle.” They could mean that things are really mixed up. It could be a room or their accounts, letters, e-mails. I’m sure you get the idea.

I’m quite happy to admit that I’m often in a guddle. This is usually down to the fact that I would rather do just about anything than mundane housework. I’d rather work hard in the garden or read, or do some D.I.Y. around the house, and that makes an even bigger guddle!

2 thoughts on “Scottish words: guddle

  1. You can guddle for fish too – what some people might call tickling a fish!

    I like the word highlanders use for a guddle. Burach! BOOroch! That Scottish/Gaelic ch again!

    • Evee,
      Yes, I had a friend who lived in Luss and then there were quite a few people there speaking Gaelic and she always used the word ‘burach’. I don’t think it’s quite so well known though. I suppose we should use it or lose it! I’ve tried guddling for fish when I was a kid. I just got drookit!

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