a'

–

all

aboot

–

about

aben/abeen/abin

–

above, about

ae

–

of

a-faulding

–

make a sheep fold

afore

–

before

agin

–

against

aff

–

off

ain

–

own

aglae

–

awry

ahint

–

behind

an'

–

and

ance

–

once

ane

–

one

aroun

–

around

auld

–

old

aw

–

all

awa

–

away

awfy

–

awfully

bansters

–

binders

bairn

–

baby, child

baith

–

both

Ben

–

mountain e.g. Ben Lomond

bide

–

stay

bit

–

but

blate

–

terrified

blether

–

(idle) chatter

bogle

–

phantom/demon

bonnie, bonny

–

beautiful

brae

–

a steep bank or hillside

braw

–

fine

breeks

–

trousers

bridie

–

meat in pastry pie

brither

–

brother

burn/burnie

–

stream/small stream

buchts

–

cattle pens

ca', caw

–

call

ca'/caw canny

–

be careful

caber

–

a log used in the traditional game of ‘tossing the caber’

cam

–

came

canny

–

careful

cannie

–

quiet

cantie

–

cheerful

cauld

–

cold

chanty

–

chamber pot

claymore

–

the traditional Scottish broad sword (‘Gaelic claidheamh mhor’ - great sword)

clegg

–

horsefly

coo

–

cow

cootie

–

louse, nit

corbie

–

raven, crow

cran

–

a measure of uncleaned herring, about 37.5 imperial gallons or typically around 1200 fish

craw

–

crow

cud

–

could

dae

–

do

daffin

–

dallying, acting foolish, silly

daur

–

door

daurna

–

dare not

dee/die/deein’

–

die, dying

deid

–

dead

de'il

–

devil

doon

–

down (‘doon the water’ is a trip down the Clyde)

douce

–

sober, gentle

dowie

–

sad

dram

–

small quantity of whisky

dule

–

mourning clothes

ee

–

eye

een

–

eyes

eneuch

–

enough

ewe

–

female sheep

faimly

–

family

fain

–

gladly

fair

–

somewhat (e.g. ‘fair taken wi’)

faither

–

father

feart

–

afraid

ferm(er)

–

farm(er)

firth

–

estuary

fit

–

what

fleeching

–

coaxing

fleg

–

fright (sic flegs - such a fright)

forby(e)

–

besides

forgie

–

forgive

fowk

–

folk

frae

–

from

frein

–

friend

frichten

–

frighten

fur

–

for

gae, gang

–

go

garth

–

made

gaun

–

going

gey

–

rather

ghaist

–

ghost

glen

–

valley

gloaming

–

dusk

gluve

–

glove

greet

–

weep

guid

–

good

hae

–

have

haggis

–

pudding made from minced meat (offal), oatmeal and onions.

haill

–

whole

hairst

–

harvest

hame, hameless

–

home, homeless

haud

–

hold (“haud your wheest”-hold your tongue)

hauf

–

half

haver

–

talk nonsense

haud

–

hold (‘Haud yer wheesht!’ = ‘Shut up!’)

haugh

–

meadow by a river

heid

–

head

hert(y)

–

heart(y)

het

–

heated (also ‘it’ of someone chosen in a children's game)

Hielan/Heiland

–

Highland

hirsel

–

flocks of sheep

hoose

–

house

hough

–

shank of meat

ilka

–

every

intae

–

into

jine

–

join

jist

–

just

ken/kent

–

know/knew

kine

–

cows, cattle

kirk

–

church

knowes

–

knolls, hills

laddie

–

boy

lang

–

long

lassie

–

girl

leein

–

lying

leglin

–

stool

len

–

lend

lilt/liltin’

–

sing/singing

loaning

–

milking yard

loch

–

lake

loof

–

palm of he hand

loon

–

boy

lour

–

a scowl or sullen look

lum

–

chimney (e.g. ‘lang may your lum reek’ = may you always be prosperous enough to have coal)

lyart

–

grizzled

ma

–

my

mair

–

more

maist

–

most

mak

–

make

maun

–

must

micht(y)

–

might(y)

midden

–

rubbish heap

mither

–

mother

mony

–

many

moose

–

mouse

mooth

–

mouth

muckle

–

much (pro); large (adj)

muir

–

moor

-na, -nae

–

‘no’, or ‘not’ as a suffix to a verb (dinna = don't, wisnae = wasn't)

nane

–

none

neep

–

turnip

ne'er

–

never

no

–

not (e.g. ‘it's no hot’)

(the) noo

–

now (e.g. ‘Ah'm gaun oot the noo’)

oor

–

our

oot(side)

–

out(side)

ower/owre

–

over, rather

pairt

–

part (‘a lad o pairts’ = someone of significance)

paw

–

father

philabegs

–

kilt

pibroch

–

music for the bagpipes

polis

–

police

rowan fu

–

swelling full (pregnant)

roon

–

round

runkled

–

crumpled, rinkled

sae

–

so

sair/sairly

–

sore/sorely (‘a sair fecht’ = ‘a sore fight’ means something problematic)

sang

–

song

sic

–

such

shin/shoon

–

shoes

siller

–

sliver

skirl

–

wailing sound (of bagpipes)

Slàinte

–

Cheers!, Your Health!

slater

–

woodlouse

sma

–

small

snaw

–

snow

spurtle

–

wooden spoon

stan/staun

–

stand

stank

–

drain

stane

–

stone

staun

–

stand

strath

–

a broad mountain valley

swankies

–

young lads

sweer

–

lazy

tae

–

to

tak

–

take

tapsalteerie

–

topsy turvy

tattie

–

potato

telt

–

told

toun/toon

–

town

trews

–

trousers

twa

–

two

verra

–

very

wain

–

child

wad

–

would

wae

–

woeful

wan

–

one

warl/warl’ly/warlly

–

world/worldly

watter

–

water (Glaswegians traditionally went ‘doon the watter’, i.e. the Clyde, for their holidays)

wean

–

child

wede

–

withered

wee

–

small

weel

–

well

weel-kent

–

well-known

wha

–

who

wham

–

whom

whaur

–

where

wheesht

–

tongue (“haud your wheest”-hold your tongue)

whit

–

what

wi

–

with

wid, wud

–

would

wifie

–

(old) woman

winna

–

won’t

winna boo

–

won’t bend over

ye

–

you

yer

–

your

yin

–

one

yowes

–

sheep