Wednesday, April 05, 2017

E is for English (or not in Scotland)

Not a place this time but a language - when I moved to Scotland we joked about whether or not I would be able to understand the accents, without realising that the Scottish words that people use are the ones that would cause me problems. It's not Gaelic, the traditional language, it's more a slang/regional thing - some words are just used in certain areas of the country.

I'll be talking to someone at work and they'll say something which I don't understand, so one of my regular phrases is, I'm sorry but what does ??? mean? So for this post I thought I'd share some of the interesting ones that I've learnt.

Bahookie
The sentence I've most heard this one in is, "I'm going to kick them up the bahookie" - I was able to guess that it means bottom.

Piece
"I've put cheese in my piece" Any ideas what this means? It's a sandwich,

Peely Wally
Last week I was told by someone that I was looking a bit Peely Wally - I wasn't sure if I should be offended or feel complimented. I turns out that they were just concerned for me as it means pale.

Haver
If you've ever listened  to the Proclaimers song 500 miles, then you will have heard this word. It means to talk rubbish. Here's the song for you to listen to.


Greet
This one I knew before we came to Scotland as my beloved sometimes uses it. It means to cry.

Stookie
I asked my beloved what this one means and he replied that it's when someone has a pot on their arm or leg. Okay, he's started to talk in a foreign language as well. Apparently in means a plaster cast. I'm not sure if pot is specifically Scottish but I'd never heard it before.

Blether
This one I've even caught myself using - I think I'm absorbing some of it by osmosis as I hear this one all the time at work. It means to talk, so I might say to someone, why don't you sit and have a blether for a while.

Scunnered
This is a great sounding word, and it means to be bored or fed up.

Boorach
"I've left a boorach at home" has been said to be by several people and every time I hear it I have to ask what it is as for some reason it doesn't stick in my head. It means a mess.

Tattyboggle
This one I learnt whilst double checking spelling for the other words and I love it. It's another word for a scarecrow.

Messages
"I've got to stop and get my messages on the way home". At first glance that sentence almost makes sense, but no, it's not what it appears - messages are groceries!!!

Stramash
My beloved's contribution of a word to include and it means an uproar or a brawl.

So there you have it, a small sample of words that I think are unique to Scotland, and some will probably just be from the Highlands. Before you leave why don't you pop over to the A to Z blog and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for the letter E - click HERE to visit.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and thing about what words are particularly unique to the area you live in.

Pamela & Ken
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20 comments:

  1. Denise6 April 2017 at 01:56

    I cannot tell you how many times I have read a Scottish authors work and had to Google something. Just this week I had to Google 'Bridie' since I had no idea what Rebus was eating. Turns out they are what we call Cornish pasties.

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    1. PJ6 April 2017 at 22:34

      Imagine trying to support an upset person and they slip these words in - I often end up making uneducated guesses which are usually wrong.

      Delete
    2. Denise7 April 2017 at 17:29

      It's not just the words, it's the accent too. Years ago I watched The Wind that Shakes the Barley. I turned on the subtitles only to realize they were already speaking English. I wonder how I would do there travelling on my own.

      Delete
    3. PJ7 April 2017 at 21:55

      You'd be fine - there's only been one person since I moved here that I really couldn't understand and they were from right up the top of Scotland. Your ear eventually tunes in to the accent.

      Delete
  2. Hilary Melton-Butcher6 April 2017 at 07:24

    Hi Pam and Ken - spotted you in the morass of the 'list' ... and had to come by and say 'hi'! Lovely words - fun ... oh excellent you've written about Clootie Well - I used the word when I wrote about Cows! I'll catch up after today ...

    cheers for now - Hilary
    http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/e-is-for-extinct-animals-and-endangered.html

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    1. PJ6 April 2017 at 22:40

      Thanks for stopping by Hilary and glad you liked the post.

      Delete
  3. Sophie Duncan6 April 2017 at 13:26

    Blether, down my way in Kent, is translated to blither, as in 'what are you blithering on about', or 'you blithering idiot' :)
    Sophie
    Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - Dragon Diaries

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    1. PJ6 April 2017 at 22:44

      I love learning all these interesting dialect quirks that exist around the UK. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  4. S. Lincecum6 April 2017 at 14:41

    Very cool. I might try to adopt peely wally. I like that one! ;-)

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    1. PJ6 April 2017 at 22:45

      That's the thing about a lot of these words, they have a way of making you smile because they sound so silly.

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  5. A Tarkabarka Hölgy6 April 2017 at 17:22

    Wow, those are some great words :D I wish I could use them out of context...

    The Multicolored Diary: WTF - Weird Things in Folktales

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    1. PJ6 April 2017 at 22:49

      I love them, and I'm always hearing new ones that unfortunately slip out of my mind before I have a chance to write them down. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  6. Sara C. Snider6 April 2017 at 17:57

    These are great! "Messages" meaning "groceries" is just madness! Tattyboggle is plain awesome. I seem to recall thinking "haver" when I heard it in the song meant "vomit", haha. So... apparently that's not what it means. Good to know! ;)

    A to Z 2017: Magical and Medicinal Herbs

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    1. PJ6 April 2017 at 22:54

      The messages one gets me everytime as it's such a normal word and when someone says it I just take it at face value. I'd love to find out who first started using some of them but as with any slang I think that might be an impossible task.

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    2. Jean Davis7 April 2017 at 01:04

      I knew a couple of those, mostly from reading books and, of course, that song. :) Pot for cast though, yeah, that would be confusing.
      Discarded Darlings - Jean Davis, Speculative Fiction Writer, A to Z: Editing Fiction

      Delete
  7. Tamara7 April 2017 at 07:32

    Good ones!
    And I guess you've answered my question from earlier this week (about the language).
    I love listening to Northern English and Scottish accents, even though I can't understand half of it ;-)

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    1. PJ7 April 2017 at 21:59

      I've always loved the Scottish accent, so not surprising that I fell in love with a Scotsman.

      Delete
  8. Trudy8 April 2017 at 16:20

    What a fun post! I might try to incorporate some of them into my vocabulary. Tattyboggle is my favorite, though, and it's sad I would rarely have a need to use it...since I rarely discuss scarecrows.

    Curious: If "messages" means groceries, what word do they use for messages as in voicemail, texts, notes...? Instead of saying "I left a message," what term do they use?

    Trudy @ Reel Focus

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  9. JazzFeathers9 April 2017 at 18:57

    I think language is fascinating. I think reginal languages are even more fascinating than avarage :-)

    @JazzFeathers
    The Old Shelter - 1940s Film Noir

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  10. Toni9 May 2017 at 21:21

    Fuel for my love of words, thank you.

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