After hanging with my friends and their kids in Scotland recently, it reminded me of the first time I heard some Scottish words and wondered what the heck they were saying. My first recollection is the song Loch Lomond, as my Mom sang it to me. If you haven't heard it, the chorus goes:
O ye'll tak' the high road, and I'll tak' the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye,
But me and my true love will never meet again,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.
So my first Scottish word was probably bonnie, but over the years I learned many more. It is funny though as the different regions also have different accents and the people from Glasgow seem to have the hardest one to understand. So sometimes if they are drunk or I don't know they are talking to me, I don't even understand what they are saying at all!
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| Highland cow |
Some of these are ones I learned long ago and others are ones I talked about recently with my friend. It would be fun if you copy and paste them into the comments and then just guess what they mean! I will put a link to the answer key at the bottom so you can see how many you got right or close (and you can post again your number if you want to!) Good luck, or should I say lang may yer lum reek (long may your chimney smoke)!!
(To copy, highlight the list, click CTRL-C; to paste, click into the comment box, click CTRL-V)
1. oose
2. hoachin
3. give it laldy
4. crabbit
5. haud yer wheesht
6. peelly wally
7. wean
8. bairn
9. eejit
10. coorie in
11. bluttered
12. steamin
13. piece
14. wee
15. numpty
16. ned
17. jobby
18. manky
19. nick
20. braw
Have fun! Here is the key for when you are done. If you are unable to access it, please email me and I can reshare it with you.
1. oose - idiot
ReplyDelete2. hoachin - idiot
3. give it laldy - tease someone
4. crabbit - jerk
5. haud yer wheesht - mind your business
6. peelly wally - someone who is reckless
7. wean - gradually stop doing something
8. bairn - barn?
9. eejit - idiot
10. curry in - dine in
11. bluttered - made a mistake
12. steamin - hot
13. piece - some
14. wee - small
15. numpty - idiot
16. ned - idiot
17. jobby - handsy
18. manky - idiot
19. nick - careless
20. braw - fight
So basically when in doubt, I assume the word means idiot or some synonym for idiot!
Haha! I love that. Every Scottish word means idiot! You are definitely right on one of them (and a few others)! I am giggling at your responses...steamin' - hot? Did you check your answers?
DeleteAll I know is that it's time for me to watch the next season of Outlander!
ReplyDeleteI have not seen it! I have enjoyed the books, despite the fact that really it is about sex.....and a few other things, knives I guess, and killing. But mostly sex.
Delete1. oose - oaf, like a goofball
ReplyDelete2. hoachin - good to see ya
3. give it laldy -
4. crabbit - damn it
5. haud yer wheesht - how are you doing?
6. peelly wally - I need to go to the bathroom
7. wean - fight
8. bairn - empty
9. eejit - idiot
10. curry in - spice something up
11. bluttered - botched
12. steamin - cute girl
13. piece - a gun
14. wee - baby
15. numpty- bumpy
16. ned - old man
17. jobby - car
18. manky - questionable
19. nick - husband
20. braw - dinner
The only one I knew was eejit - same in Ireland. The rest were all guesses.
These are some good guesses! I think the only one you got right was eejit! :) I do like that you say steamin is a cute girl because that is wrong, but they do say "she's a stoater" when they are talking about a hot girl, so you were close!
DeleteI 100% feel like bairn is a child or baby. I should know more because I'm mostly Scottish, but, you know, Canadian. Rob and I have been watching Three Doors Down on BBC (or is it Two Doors Down? I forget) and sometimes we put on the subtitles, and honestly it isn't that helpful to have the subtitles. I love UK accents!
ReplyDeleteYou are right! They say the same in Ireland too. That is where I actually first heard it; I was at a family reunion of one of my friends. His Mom is one of 18 and there were so many people, including a bunch of kids. I have never seen Three or Two Doors, but the accents are fun. I also love how regional they are. I know we have that too to some degree, but it feels so much more pronounced to me in the UK. Like if someone is from Leeds, you will know it!
DeleteHmmm. I have no idea for most of these! How fun.
ReplyDelete1. oose
2. hoachin
3. give it laldy
4. crabbit
5. haud yer wheesht
6. peelly wally
7. wean - to stop breastfeeding??!!! hahaha
8. bairn
9. eejit - idiot?
10. coorie in
11. bluttered
12. steamin - angry?
13. piece - a bit of food? a parcel of land?
14. wee - small
15. numpty
16. ned
17. jobby
18. manky
19. nick - to steal
20. braw - fight? No...I'm thinking of brawl. I have no idea.
I need your answer key! (The link does work!)
Haha! I think you got one right! But steaming does mean angry in the US, and piece was not too far off!
DeleteHa, I am LOVING everyone's guesses! I can't do better than that. I think I know "bairn" and "eejit." But... manky? numpty? What is wrong with these people??? (ha ha...)
ReplyDeleteHaha, yes the guesses are often more fun than the real thing! But I love languages and how words come about!
DeleteThis is so fun ... languages are so fun...
ReplyDelete1. oose
2. hoachin
3. give it laldy
4. crabbit - idiot
5. haud yer wheesht
6. peelly wally
7. wean - baby, small child
8. bairn - child (I KNOW THAT ONE)
9. eejit
10. coorie in
11. bluttered - drunk?
12. steamin
13. piece
14. wee - small
15. numpty - dummie
16. ned
17. jobby
18. manky
19. nick - steal
20. braw
I have no idea about the other ones. LOL
Nice work! You were right on most of the ones you guessed! I also love languages and seeing how they sometimes fit together. There are a lot of German words I recognize even though I don't speak German!
Delete1. oose. Ouch.
ReplyDelete2. hoachin Amazing
3. give it laldy Get moving
4. crabbit Damn it
5. haud yer wheesht Hold your horses
6. peelly wally Every which way
7. wean Wee one
8. bairn Child
9. eejit Idiod
10. coorie in Huddle
11. bluttered Confused
12. steamin Angry
13. piece Thing
14. wee Tiny
15. numpty Ugly
16. ned Smart
17. jobby Working
18. manky Stinky
19. nick Steal
20. braw Beer