GLOSSARY OF UNFAMILIAR WORDS

abun—above

ahent—behind

ba’ heid—bald person

baffies—bedroom slippers

bairnies—small children

bawbees—coins

bide—stay

birl—whirl around

bisom—rascally person

bool-moothed—posh-talking

bowdie—belly, womb, also shelter

braw—fine, excellent

braxy meat—meat which is dried, salted, stretched and cut into strips

braxy water—peaty water

breeks—trousers

breenge—rush, lunge

brock—cast-off wool from sheep

but-and-ben—two-roomed cottage

chat—small person

chitties—tripod

cluckie doo—woodpigeon

cornkister—bothy song

coup—rubbish dump

couthie—friendly, pleasant

cratur—creature

craw—crow

cromachs—sticks, shepherds’ crooks

croupit—suffering from respiratory infection

cuddie—young fish

cuddy—horse, pony

deek—look

div—do

docken—dock (plant)

dook—dip, dive

dreich—damp, dismal

dukkering—fortune-telling

een—eyes

een-gouged—with eyes put out

face like fizz—an expression of great displeasure

fauld—sheep fold

fit—what

fly—cunning

frickit—scared

fu’—drunk

gadaboot—wandering person

gadgie—man, particularly a non-gypsy

gloamin—twilight

gourie—woman

guffy-faced—with a fat, flabby face, staring uncouthly

haar—coastal mist

habin—food

hantel—group of people

hingin’—hanging

hippit—stiff

holt—otter’s lair

homer—casual job done for a friend

hoofit—hoofed

hoolit—owl

horn-moich—totally mad

jugal—dog

keeking—peering, peeking

kelpie, water kelpie—monster living in water which transforms itself into a horse to entice its victims

kye—cattle

leein—lying

loup—leap

lowy—money

manged—asked

manishi—woman

maun hae—must have

midden—rubbish-dump

moich—mad

mort—woman, girl

muckle—big

pagger—fight, hit

panny—urine

peeve—alcoholic drink

pirn—bobbin

plaidies—tartan capes

puddock—frog or toad

quine—young woman

ragie—silly, stupid

sark—shirt

scud—blow

shan—strange

skelf-like—slight, thin as a shaving

skelp—hit, beat

skitters—nervousness inducing diarrhoea

spirtle stick—stick for stirring food in a pot

spunk—spark

stappit—jammed

stookied—plastered

stotting—bouncing

swelt—swollen

tackety boots—hob-nailed boots

thrapple—throat

thronged hen—throttled hen

toories—caps

tushni—pieces of hand-made lace

wallies—false teeth

waur—worse

weans—children

whaur—where

wheen—large number, amount

yaps—individuals with too much to say for themselves

yookies—rats