Glossary

angered, grieved, annoyed

awa’ wi’ ye, go away

ben, within, through, inside

birsey, (birsie) hot-tempered, passionate

body, a person (sometimes used contemptuously)

bogles, ghosts, spectres

bonny, pretty, beautiful

cannae, cannot

dunt, blow, knock

feared, (feart) afraid, frightened

forbye, as well as, besides, in addition to

gallus, (gallows) wild, bold, daring, rascally

gey, rather, very

greeting, weeping, lamenting

havering, talking nonsense

heids, heads

heilans, highlands of Scotland

joco, merry, lively, pleased with oneself

kelpies, water demons haunting rivers in forms of horses

ken, know

kirk, church

longsyne, (lang syne) long ago

messages, shopping

mixty-maxty, jumbled together; a jumble

peely-wally, sickly, ill-looking

skelp, smack, slap

sneck up, shut up, hold one’s tongue

thingummy, something one cannot give a name to

thrapple, windpipe, throat

tuilzie, (tulyie) quarrel, fight, wrangle or dispute

unchancy, unlucky

vexed, distressed, grieved