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A B C D E F G H
I J K
L M N O P Q R
S T U
V W X
Y Z
adj.=adjective adv.=adverb conj.=conjunction int.=interjection interrog.=interrogatory
n.=noun phr.=phrase pl. n.=plural noun prep.=preposition pron.=pronoun
v.=verb v. aux.=verbal auxiliary
This list represents just a sampling of some of the most common Scottish words and expressions.
Phonetic pronunciations are given for some Gaelic words, but most Scots words are pronounced just as their spellings would be in English (however, remember to use the more gutteral Scots "ch").
Underlined terms in the Glossary link to illustrations in the Catalogue.
WARNING: Some of the slang terms and phrases in the Glossary may be mildly offensive.
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A
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a'/aw (adj., adv., pron.,
n.) all
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aboot (adj., adv., prep.)
about
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afore (prep.) before
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aft (adv.) often
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ain (adj.) own
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amang (prep.) among
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an' (conj.) and
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an' a'/an aw (adv.) as
well, too
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anent (prep.) concerning,
opposite
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anither (adj., pron.)
another
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arisaid
[air uh saydch] 1 (n.) a traditional woman's
Highland garment, essentially a long, belted tartan cloak or over-dress,
fastened in front with a brooch;
2 (adj.) descriptive term
for a tartan sett (pattern) with a large proportion of white threads, often
substituting for another colour from the standard sett; originally considered
a feminine alternative, but now often designated a "dress" (as in formal
dress) tartan variation
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auld (adj.) old
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awa/awa' (adj., adv.) away
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awfie/awfy (adj.) awfully,
used as an intensive
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ay (prep.) of
-
aye 1 (adv.) yes; 2
(adv.) always; 3 (int.) greeting, possibly the origin of the
American "hi"
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B
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bairn (n.) child
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bampot (n.) crazy or foolish
person
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Barr's Irn Bru - see Irn Bru
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belang (v.) belong
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ben (n.) mountain
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bide/byde (v.) stay
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blether (n., v.) babble,
idle talk, blather; to speak blether; a person who speaks blether
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bodie (n.) person
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bollocks (n.) literally,
"testicles"; other meaning: "nonsense"; Example: 'What
a load ay bollocks!'
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bonnie (adj.) beautiful
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brae (n.) hillside
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braw (adj.) fine
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breacan
féile/féileadh (n.) [braken fail/faila] literally, "plaid" + "kilt"; the so-called "great
kilt", a length of tartan that is pleated and belted to form a
kilt, with the remainder thrown over the shoulders as protection from the elements or pinned to one shoulder as an integral plaid
(def. 1); see also féileadh mór
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bricht (adj.) bright
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brither (n.) brother
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burn (n.) stream (natural
body of water)
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C
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caller (adj.) fresh, cool
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canna/cannae (v.) cannot,
may not
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cannie (adj.) careful,
gentle, skilful
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cauf (n.) calf
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cauld (adj.) cold
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ceilidh (n.) [kayl
lee] literally, gossiping, visiting; but usually meaning a social gathering
with music and dancing
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ceòl mòr (n.)
[keyol mor] the "great music" (literal meaning) of the Highland
pipes; the whole tradition of "classical" Highland bagpipe music
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ceud mìle fàilte
(int.)
[keeudt meeluh fahlchuh] one hundred thousand welcomes; traditional
greeting
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clan (n.) Gaelic "clann",
literally, "children"; in the Scottish tradition, a tribe-like allegiance
of the family, extended family, and loyal followers of a clan chief; the
chief and the heads of households in a clan generally claim descent from
a common ancestor
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clartie/clarty (adj.)
dirty
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close (n.) a narrow passage
leading from a street to a courtyard and the houses within or to a common
stairway (pronounced as the English adjective [clOs], not the verb
[clOz])
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coo (n.) cow
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corrie (n.) literally,
"kettle"; a deep, steep-walled basin on a mountain, usually forming
the blunt end of a valley
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couthie/couthy (adj.) friendly,
sympathetic, salt-of-the-earth
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crabbit (adj.) bad-tempered,
grumpy
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cuik (n.) cook
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D
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day, the (n.) today
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deoch an doruis (phr.) [dock
an doris] a "drink at the door" before leaving one's host; farewell
drink
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dinna/dinnae (v.) do not,
did not
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dirk
(n.)
a short ceremonial sword (or long dagger) worn with Highland attire, suspended
from the belt in a sheath, at very formal occasions
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dochter (n.) daughter
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doon/doun (adj., adv., prep.)
down
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dour (adj.) sullen, gloomy
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drap/drappie (n.) drop
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dreich (adj.) tedious,
dull, dreary; a "dreich day" is a gloomy, overcast one
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dwaum/dwam (n.) swoon,
fit of sickness, senseless state
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E
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efternuin (n.) afternoon
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erse (n.) buttocks; Scottish
equivalent of American "ass" or English "arse"
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F
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fàilte (int.) [fahlchuh]
welcome; traditional greeting
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faither (n.) father
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fash (v.) annoy, inconvenience
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fash yersel (v.) worry
yourself; 'Dinna fash yersel aboot it!'
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faut (n.) fault
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féileadh
beag (n.) [faila beg] the "philabeg" or, literally,
"small
kilt", a length of tartan, pleated across the back of the hips
(today, tailored to have the pleats sewn in) and worn around the waist
like a wrap-around skirt; the quintessential Scottish gentleman's traditional
garment
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féileadh
mór (n.) [faila mor] the "philamore" or, literally,
"great
kilt", a longer piece of tartan that is pleated and belted by the wearer to form a kilt, with the remainder thrown around the shoulders as a cloak or pinned to one shoulder as an integral plaid
(see plaid, def. 1); see also breacan
féile/féileadh
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fess (v.) fetch, bring
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firth (n.) estuary
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forbye (adv.) also, as
well, too
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forenicht (n.) early evening
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forenoon (n.) late morning
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Forfar Bridie (n.) a large
turnover with a flaky crust, containing meat, vegetables, and gravy (Forfar
is the capital of the former county of Angus, also called Forfarshire)
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fou (adj.) full
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fowk (n.) folk, people,
family
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frae (prep.) from
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fricht (n.) fright
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fur (conj., prep.) for
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G
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gab (v.) talk
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Gaeltachd (n.) country
of the Gaels/Gaelic speakers, the "Highlands and Islands" of Scotland
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gane (adj.) gone
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gang (v.) go
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gaun (v.) going
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geggie (n.) travelling
theatre
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gie/gi'e (v.) give
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glaikit (adj.) foolish
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gley (adj.) sideways,
askance, off the straight
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gomeral (n.) fool
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gowk (n., v.) fool
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gowk hunt (n.) fool's
errand; a kind of April Fool's Day joke
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great kilt (n.) the féileadh
mór (also called by the transliterated form, "philamore")—literally,
"great
kilt"—a long piece of tartan that is pleated and belted by the wearer to form a kilt, with the remainder thrown around the shoulders as a cloak or pinned to one shoulder as an integral plaid
(see plaid, def. 1); see also breacan
féile/féileadh
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gret (adj.) great
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guid (adj.) good
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guidman (n.) husband
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guidwife (n.) wife
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gyte (adj.) insane
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H
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hae/ha'e (v.) have
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haed/hied (n.) head
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haggis (n.) the Scots
national dish, a savoury mixture of seasoned lamb or mutton, offal, and
oatmeal, cooked in a sheep's stomach, much like an extra-large sausage;
often styled as "the haggis" and presented with great ceremony at
social occasions such as the traditional dinner honouring poet Robert Burns'
birthday, 25th January (Burns Nicht or Burns Night)
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hame (n.) home
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havers (int., n.) nonsense
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hen (n.) affectionate
term for and form of informal address to a woman
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hen party (n.) a social
gathering held to honour a bride-to-be, at which all the guests are women,
usually timed right before the wedding; a "bachelorette" party
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I
J
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Irn
Bru (trade
name) [iron brew] also known as Barr's Irn Bru; a lightly-carbonated,
orange-flavoured soft drink that is the most popular in Scotland (the only
country in which Coca-Cola is sold where Coke is not #1!); slogan: 'Made
from girders'
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Jock Tamson's bairns (phr.)
the Scots as a people: 'We're all Jock Tamson's bairns.'; "Jock Tamson"
(John Thompson) is the Scottish everyman
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K
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ken (v.) know
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kenspeckle (adj.) conspicuous
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kimmer (n.) young girl
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kirk (n.) church
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kye/kyne (pl. n.) cows,
cattle
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L
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lad, laddie (n.) boy
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lang (adj.) long
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lass, lassie (n.) girl
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lave (v.) leave
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loch (n.) lake
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Losh! (int.) 'Lord save
us!', an exclamation of wonder
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M
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mair (adj., adv., n., pron.)
more
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maist (adj., n.) most
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man/mon (n.) man, husband
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maun (v. aux.) must
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mense (n.) common sense,
honour, respect
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micht (v. aux.) might
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mickle (adj.) scant, small
quantity
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mìle fàilte (int.)
[meeluh fahlchuh] one thousand welcomes; traditional greeting
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mind (v.) remember
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mither (n.) mother
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monie (adj., n., pron.) many
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morn (n.) morning
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morn, the/morra, the (n.)
tomorrow
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muckle (adj.) big, great,
large, much
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N
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nae (adj., adv., n.) no,
not
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naethin' (adj., adv., n.,
pron.) nothing
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neeps (pl. n.) turnips
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nicht (n.) night
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no (adv.) not; used as
a function word to express the negative of an alternative choice or possibility;
Example: 'Shall we go oot to dinner or no?'
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nou/noo (adj., adv., conj.,
n.)
now
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O
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o' (prep.) of
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onie (adj., adv., pron.) any
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oniebodie (pron.) anyone
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oor (adj.) our
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oot (adj., adv., prep.) out
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ower (adj., adv., prep.) over
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ower muckle (adj.) too
much
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P
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pawkie/pawky (adj.) having
a matter-of-fact, humorous outlook on life; roguish; astute
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peelie-wally (adj.) pale,
sickly, feeble
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perjink (adj.) fastidious,
neat to a fault
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piece (n.) sandwich
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pìobaireachd/pibroch (n.)
[peebrock]
literally, "piping"; a martial bagpipe air or a set of bagpipe music
variations; often refers to the whole tradition and practice of piping,
especially the ceòl mòr or "great music" of
the Highland pipes
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plaid 1 (n.) [playd]
literally, a blanket (Gaelic "plaide"); a varying length of tartan
fabric used to construct a man's
garment, historically forming a belted combination of kilt and cloak (see also breacan
féile/féileadh), but in modern times more often a
smaller
piece of tartan worn pinned to the shoulder with a brooch, separate
from the kilt; 2 (adj.) [plad] textile with a repeating checked
pattern formed of coloured yarns woven in crossing stripes; tartan
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pòg mo thòin (phr.)
[pogue muh hone] the mildly offensive expression, "kiss my arse";
used even by people who don't speak Gaelic at all
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puir (adj.) poor
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QR
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richt (adj.) right
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richt nou/richt awa (adv.)
immediately
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S
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sae (adv., conj.) so
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sassenach (n.) literally,
"foreigner", but usually reserved for offensively referring to an
Englishman, one of the "Auld Enemy"
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scunner (n.) disgust,
disgusting person, nuisance
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sept (n.) an Irish variant
of "clan", used to denote a branch of a clan known by a different surname
than that of the clan chief or progenitor (the clan name)
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sett (n., v.) a weaving
term meaning the pattern of a textile as determined by the yarn or thread
colours and the thread count for each colour in the design; also, to set
up the loom for weaving a pattern
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sgian
dubh/skean dhu (n.) [skeen doo] literally, "black
knife"; a short-bladed dagger traditionally worn with the kilt, tucked
into the top of the hose
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slàinte gu síorraidh
(phr.)
[slanj-uh ha shorr-ah] a popular toast or wish, "Health for ever"
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slàinte mhath (phr.)
[slanj-uh vah] a popular toast or wish, "Good health"
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slàinte mhór (phr.)
[slanj-uh vor] a popular toast or wish, "Great health" (a response
to "Slàinte mhath")
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smeddum (n.) spirit, energy,
good sense, mettle
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sporran
(n.) a gentleman's leather or fur pouch used for carrying small articles,
similar in function to a lady's purse or a hiker's hip pack, which is fastened
round the waist with a chain or straps so as to hang down in front of
the kilt
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stramash (n.) uproar,
disturbance
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stovies (pl. n.) potatoes
stewed with onions
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suin (adv.) soon
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syne (adj., adv.) ago,
then, since
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T
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tae (adv., prep.) to
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tait (n.) small quantity
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tak' (v.) take
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tatties (pl. n.) potatoes
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the day (adv., n.) today
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the morn/the morra (adv.,
n.) tomorrow
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the nou/the noo (adv.)
just now
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thegither (adv.) together
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thrang (adj.) busy
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thrawn (adj.) obstinate
and assertive, with the sense of being wilfully perverse
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trig (adj.) smart, quick,
clever, active, nimble, brisk, alert, tidy, trim, neat
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UV
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vennel (n.) narrow alley
or lane between buildings
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verra (adj., adv.) very
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W
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wark (n.) work
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warld (n.) world
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watter (n.) water, river
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waur (adj., adv.) worse
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wean (n.) child
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wee (adj.) little, small
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wee bit/wee bittie (n.)
a little bit/a little bit of
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weel (int., n.) well;
a deep pool, an eddy, a whirlpool
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wha (interrog.) who
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wheen, a (n.) a few
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wheesht (int.) be quiet,
shut up!
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wi' (prep.) with
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wumman (n.) woman, wife
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wynd (n.) narrow, winding
street
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XYZ
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yah (n.) arrogant English
person with posh accent (insulting)
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ye (pron.) you
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