Translations from the Scottish

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