Tag: linguistics

  • Your Scottish Slang Scots Word O’ The Day: Wheesht

    Twenty-fifth in a series wheesht (whee·sht) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~v. 1. a call for quiet or silence; used as an interjection Wheesht! to bring about or continue, the silence of others. ~esp. children (often in “Will ye wheesht, you pair! Ma heid’s loupin!“). 2. quiet, hushed [haud yer wheesht is to hold one’s tongue].

  • Your Scottish Slang Scots Word O’ The Day: Skiver

    Twenty-fourth in a series skiver (sky·ver) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~n. 1. one who avoids tasks or work in general; a shirker. [see also sloper] 2. a splinter of wood embedded in the skin (also skelf). ~v. 3. skive (“Ah cannae be arsed wi’ this – ahm away fur a skive.“)

  • Your Scottish Slang Scots Word O’ The Day: Greet

    Twenty-third in a series greet (gree·t) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~v. 1. to cry, weep. 2. gravel or grit. ~adv. 3. greetin’ (“Stope greetin’! It wisnae that sair.“) ~adj. 4. greetin’ face cry baby; one who is prone to tears or constantly miserable.

  • Your Scottish Slang Scots Word O’ The Day: Thrawn

    Twenty-second in a series thrawn (th·raw·n) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~adj. 1. twisted; distorted or misshapen. 2. stubborn or obstinate (often in “Jeez O, yer a thrawn auld bugger!“). 3. to be cross; in a dour or sullen mood.

  • Your Scottish Slang Scots Word O’ The Day: Birl

    Twenty-first in a series birl (burl) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~v. 1. to spin around, to revolve rapidly. 2. a whistle; the sound made by a whistle. ~adv. birlin’ (“Ah tell ye, efter a’ that dancin’ ma heid’s fair birlin’“).

  • Your Scottish Slang Scots Word O’ The Day: Couthie

    Twentieth in a series couthie (coo·thee) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~adj. 1. amiable, sociable esp. persons (“Och, she’s a couthie soul, so she is“). 2. comfortable, pleasant; snug (as in “Here, there’s a couthie wee pub doon-by“).

  • Your Scottish Slang Scots Word O’ The Day: Blether

    Ninteenth in a series blether (ble·ther) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~n. 1. a person who chatters incessantly, someone who babbles on and on (“That wee yin o’ yours is an awfy blether gettin’“). ~v. 2. to engage in conversation, long-winded or idle talk (as in “Ah met yer granny doon the toun, we had a richt…

  • Your Scottish Slang Scots Word O’ The Day: Stramash

    Eighteenth in a series stramash (stra·mash) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~n. 1. an uproar; a violent commotion or rowdy behavior; a melee. (“And players from both teams have now become embroiled in what can only be described as a giant stramash inside the penalty box“). 2. state of heightened excitement or rage. [similar to stushie, stooshie]

  • Your Scottish Slang Scots Word O’ The Day: Drouth

    Seventeenth in a series drouth (droo·th) Dialect, chiefly Scot ~n. 1. drought; long or extreme period of weather without precipitation. 2. thirst, dry mouth, usually caused by excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages the previous night (“Man, ah must’ve hud ten pints last night. Ah’ve got an awfy drouth“). A typical cure would involve more liquid…

  • Your Scottish Slang Scots Word O’ The Day: Teuchter

    Sixteenth in a series teuchter (choo·chter) Dialect, chiefly Scot ~n. 1. (trad.) one who derives from the Highlands of Scotland (a Highlander); more commonly used by city folk to describe rural dwellers. 2. Gaelic-speaker (mostly to each other) esp. at strange Gatherings known as Mods [definitely not Rockers]. Occasionally partakes of a wee dram (see…