Wheesht means be quite, shhh, shut up, stop moaning – you get the idea.
You know that ubiquitous slogan KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON – well the other day I was mooching around in Waterstone’s (I know, I shouldn’t have been in there!) and I came across a postcard printed with the Scottish version of it: WHEESHT AND JIST GET OAN WI’ IT. Or in other words: Be quite and just get on with it.
WHEESHT is often said to children when they’re moaning and girning. Remember to pronounce the wh sound properly when you say it, not w as English people tend to do when a word begins with a wh. It should be nice and onomatopoeic, like whisper!
I love this word! I might have to start using it in the library. We’re discouraged from shushing people, but wheeshting people might be okay!
Anbolyn,
I hope you can use it. The library I worked in didn’t allow shushing either. Mind you sometimes it was old folks’ hearing aids which made the most noise, when they had them turned up too far the screeching from them was horrendous! Of course the deaf people were completely oblivious to it!
Lovely word wheesht. Dad always used to say Wheesht lassie, to me, and probably my sister, when we were making too much noise. Not to be confused with Wheech! To wheech something away. (A certain tirade by Billy Connolly comes to mind!) How would you translate that into English – wheech? to pull firmly?
Yes, that WH does pose a problem to English English speakers, WH sounds like blowing out a candle up here.
Evee,
Yes it’s a good word. I looked for that Billy Connolly sketch on You Tube a while ago but couldn’t find it. A real shame because I remember laughing my head off at that one. English translation is difficult isn’t it, I can’t think of any word which gives the same sense as wheech – yank in just doesn’t have the same feel about it. WH is really necessary if you don’t want to confuse which with witch or whales with Wales and such, I can’t understand why they can’t pronounce their own language properly!