Category Archives: Scottish words

Bidey-in revisited

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I had a comment on my Scottish words post, bidey-in, from someone called Mickey. He commented, “a rose by any other name is still the same–whether it is a bidey in or a partner–it still is a relationship without commitment and one that each one uses the other…for whatever purpose –how can one love purely in a relationship that is adulterous?”

Frankly, I was a bit worried about approving the comment in case I was deluged by weird Christian sect messages. However, I do want to say that I know several very committed and close couples who for some reason known to themselves have never thought it necessary to have a piece of official paper to seal their happiness.

Two of our friends have been living together for nearly 40 years and are completely devoted to each other. As it happens, they never had any children. I suppose children might be upset if their parents aren’t married and according to all the research, children are better off in all sorts of ways if the parents are married.

I’m more than a wee bit puzzled as to why Mickey is assuming that couples who are living together are committing adultery though. Surely one of the bidey-ins has to be married for that to be the case.

Nowadays most people who are living together have never been married to anyone before, so adultery just isn’t an issue at all.

I say, live and let live, as long as no-one is being hurt by the situation, surely it shouldn’t be a problem.

Ya Dancer (well, nearly)

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England versus U.S.A. in the World Cup ended up being a 1 each draw (or tie as they say in the US.) As the U.S.A. were the underdogs I was supporting them and really hoping that they could pull off a win, but I suppose it could have been worse.

I didn’t watch the match as I knew I wouldn’t be able to stand it, for all sorts of reasons, but my husband said that it took only 8 seconds for the commentators to mention the 1966 World Cup.

I had really been hoping to be able to title this post:

YA DANCER! – that lovely Scottish shout of joy, but it wasn’t to be.

Scottish words – boak

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Boak is a word which rhymes with poke and was used a few times in the Kate Atkinson book Not the End of the World, which I reviewed yesterday.

It is a verb meaning to be sick, as in vomit. So it isn’t very pleasant but is used often, for instance:-

I drank so much Irn Bru (insert your own choice of poison) that I boaked.

He scunnered me that much, I boaked all over him.

Wid that no’ gie you the dry boak.

The last phrase is generally used to signify that something absolutely disgusts you.

The dry boak is what happens when you just retch and nothing comes up because your stomach has been emptied.

So, boak is a useful but not exactly charming word.

I hope I haven’t given you the boak at the thought of it, or even the dry boak.

Scottish words: shouglie

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Shouglie means shaky, unsteady, something that feels a bit precarious and likely not to stand up to much weight, if you’re talking about a shelf for instance. This word is usually pronounced shoogilly.

A phrase that is often heard is, “Your coat is on a shouglie hook,” something that a bidey- in might say to their other half, – meaning if you don’t mend your ways and start behaving yourself, you will be getting thrown out, you’ll have to find another billet.

Gordon Brown’s coat in 10 Downing Street seems to be on a very shouglie hook. Unless miracles do happen he will definitely be looking for another London home on Friday.

Scots words – stramash

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A stramash is a disturbance, an uproar, commotion, a bit of a row or fight. It is more serious than a stooshie and generally more bad tempered.

The great football commentator Arthur Montford was well known for using the phrase “What a stramash,” – whenever there was a bit of a rumpus around the goal-mouth.

Scottish words: It’s a sair fecht

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A straight translation of “It’s a sair fecht” is – “It’s a sore fight.”

When people use this phrase they mean – “It’s a hard life.”

People usually say it when they are just a bit fed up with things, not seriously despondent or depressed.

As we are now coming to the end of the Easter holidays it’s a fair bet that my husband will be saying – it’s a sair fecht – sometime soon, at the thought of going back to teaching on Monday.

Scottish words: Teuchter

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Teuchter is what someone from the Highlands of Scotland is called by people from the Lowlands. It is pronounced – tyou-chter.

The word has derogative connotations, meaning something like a country bumpkin. Someone who isn’t very knowledgable, a bit of a simpleton in the big city.

Teuchter is always said scornfully, which brings me to the belief that if Scotland did have independence, it wouldn’t be all that long before we were split down clan lines again. Let’s face it – we are really tribal.

Or is that just in the east of Scotland and I have lived here so long that I think it is normal for people to be insular and cliquey.

They do say that ‘It takes a lang spoon to sup with a Fifer.’ after all. I’ll certainly never have a spoon lang enough.

On the other hand, I don’t mind Teuchters at all.

Scottish words: Sassenach

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The word Sassenach comes originally from the Gaelic word Sasunnach, meaning Saxon. Now it is used to mean an English person.

Some people use it to mean Southerner and as that is all relative to where you are, it isn’t unheard of for a Highlander to call a Lowlander a Sassenach.

Mind you – as a Lowlander myself I would take great umbrage if anyone dared to call me a Sassenach. Not that I’m racist or anything! But I am a Viking/Celt, definitely not a Saxon.

Scottish words: skellum, ken speckle

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I noticed whilst I was reading Greenmantle that John Buchan was ‘doing his bit’ in keeping Scottish words going as far back as 1915 when he wrote the book.

skellum

He has his character Sandy using the word – skellum – which means a rascal, rogue, a ne’er do weel (never do well).

ken speckle

Ken speckle means that someone is well recognised, well known.

Whilst I’ve seen this phrase written down plenty of times, I’ve only ever heard it used in speech once. It was by a very old man in Kinross high street and it was the first time I had come across the word but I think it is an easy one to guess the meaning of. So, despite John Buchan, it isn’t doing too well and I’m going to use it whenever I can. Of course it can be written as all one word.

Apparently kenspeckle is originally from Ole Norse and I’m pretty sure that skellum is too given the fact that it starts with sk.

Scottish words: Going for my messages

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Obviously this one is more of a Scottish phrase although I didn’t even realise that it was Scottish until I moved to the south of England for a few years in the late 70s.

I was met with puzzled faces when I said to people ‘I’m going for my messages’. They just couldn’t think what I meant by it and I thought that everybody used the word messages to mean food shopping, so I was really surprised when I had to explain it to them.

It is probably more common to hear people saying ‘I’m away for my messages’ – and they just mean that they are going to the supermarket.

In the days of my childhood when children were allowed to roam the streets on their own at a young age it was common to see them being sent for a message and that could mean something like picking up the dry cleaning or paying a bill for their mother. We were given quite a lot of responsibility in those days as youngster.

When you think about it, it sounds a strange thing to say. So I can see why Sassenachs were completely in the dark as to what I was talking about. Poor sowls.