Guid Gurden Words

Guid Gurden Words A Glossary

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Introduction This Glossary of Gourdon (Gurden)/Scots words has been compiled using responses from a large number of Gourdon residents of different ages and extends the Guid Gurden Words Glossary compiled by P5 Pupils at Gourdon School, 2012/2013. It also includes contributions from former Gourdon residents and other interested parties no longer living in Gourdon. 1 Although a number of words may be termed specifically Gurden, many more are Standard Scots words, with Gurden pronunciation and spelling. Gurden words are Scots words and vice and versa.

Both Gurden and Scots words have acquired several later alternative spellings over the years as Scots declined as the nation’s language – the language of the royal court, the law courts, of Scots poetry and writings, of legal documents, with the Union of the Crowns when James VI of Scotland became James I of the United Kingdom (1603) and with the dissolving of the Scottish Parliament, with the Union of the Scottish and English Parliaments (1707), among other factors. Nevertheless Scots survived and lives on today though depleted.

I hope this Glossary will prove useful not only to pupils in schools for their writings in Scots and research into different aspects of Scotland for projects and other pursuits but also for the public in general who wish to see Scots continue and flourish. I also hope that the contributors will enjoy tracking their words in the Glossary and reviving memories of the Scots of their youth.

My main source for checking the status of the different entries has been the invaluable electronic Dictionary of the Scots Language (DSL), comprising the original 12-volume Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (DOST) and original 10-volume Scottish National Dictionary (SND), the two major historical dictionaries of the Scots Language, the former covering the period from the twelfth to the end of the seventeenth centuries and the latter from 1700 – 1970s.

This online resource is an excellent reference tool for all who love the Scots language. 2 I am proud to record that I worked for one 1

At one of the regular meetings in and hosted by Gourdon School, Senior Citizens were told of the planned Guid Gurden Words Glossary being complied as part of their Gourdon in the Past and Gourdon and the Maggie Law Project by Primary 5, and were invited to contribute. Word spread and contributions flowed in from young and old, past and present Gurdeners. The P5 Booklet has aroused great interest in the Village, with people discussing different aspects of different words and suddenly remembering more and more words from their past usage.

2 Dictionary of the Scots Language, www.DSL.ac.uk I also found Collins Scottish Words, Introd. John Abernethy, Harper Collins, 2009, a lightsome and useful wee book.

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summer (1966) on the Scottish National Dictionary in Edinburgh under Editor, the redoubtable David Murison.3 This Glossary also identifies each word as a part of speech – noun, adjective, verb etc., the tense of the verb and offers some alternative spellings. It tries to differentiate between purely traditional Scot words and words that may be more specifically Gurden words or Gurden variations.

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The phrasing of a number of the definitions in this Glossary echoes those in the electronic dictionary.

Some phrasings are rendered from definitions of fishing terms supplied to me by Gourdon residents and from my own knowledge or are devised by me. Basic definitions are derived from the responses given by Gourdon residents. I have extended and developed these, adding grammatical and spelling details. In particular John Craig was very helpful in detailing technical aspects of fishing procedures, e.g. “bobbers”, “bobbing”, “funnel bunch” etc.

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Explanatory Notes Scots Words – making up the Scots language, spelt in the traditional way, marked Sc or Ne Sc (North East Scots) – widely used in Gurden Gourdon Words – part of the Scots language, considered to be unique to Gourdon, spelt to indicate the Gourdon pronunciation, marked G Abbreviations – n- noun; v – verb – pt – past tense; pp – past participle; pres.p - present participle; adj.– adjective; adv.- adverb; pron. – pronoun; prep. – preposition; conj.– conjunction; dim.- diminutive; expres.

– expression ; pl.- plural Phrases and expressions appear under the main word.

Alternative spellings are separated by a / Celia Craig August 2013

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A Aa ae oo – Ne Sc expression – see under O aathing – pron Sc – everything ablow – prep. Sc – under, below, beneath – often in-ablow aboot – prep. Sc – about, on every side, around abune/abone/aboon – prep. and adv. Sc – above, over, higher up than - in place or position ahint – adv. and prep. Sc – behind – of time, place, a later time, of a clock, late aicht/echt – v Sc – belong to – Faa’s aicht that book? aicht/echt – v Sc – owe - Foo muckle am I aichin ye? aise – n Sc - ashes from fire aneth/aneath – prep. and adv. Sc – beneath, below, under, underneath apprin/ awpron – n Sc and Ne Sc – apron aprin – n Sc. the abdomen/purse of a crab, of a female crab ashet – n Sc – a serving dish, usually large

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B bach/bauch – adj.Sc – off-colour, seedy, tired, unwell baffies – n Sc – slippers bairn – n Sc – a child, sometimes referring to a baby – diminutive - bairnie – also acting childishly bandies – n Sc/ Ne Sc pl. - small fish found in rockpools, similar to minnow or stickleback bandie net – n Sc/G – small fishing net used by children in rockpoo bannock – n Sc – a thick, griddle- cooked oatcake – see “sautie” below banplain/banplein – n G – more than enough, a good sufficiency – e.g. fed well and fully – from the French “bon” – good and “plein” full bark/barkin – v Sc/G – to preserve by barking, preserving a line using “bark” – barkin the line – a process of preserving lines by boiling in water to which the substance “bark” (originally the tormentil plant) has been added. barkit – - adj. Sc/G – the colour produced by “barking” – see above. Example a “barkit jumper” – a fisherman’s smock, originally of canvas, latterly of cotton, sometimes with oilskin sleeves, also originally dyed using “bark” barkit – adj. Sc - very dirty – as if tanned with “bark” barley – n Sc a truce barley – n G - time-out for one person when playing games in the playground – often accompanied by crossing two fingers to show the person is not playing. bauchle – n Sc – down-at-heel shoe, worn-out, making the wearer shamble. Also applied to a person who is untidy and clumsy, often a small person bawled at – v G - told off beetin threed – n G – specially strong linen thread used to bind/whip hooks on to the cords attached to the line beet on – v G – to whip a hook on to a line attachment, using beetin threed 6

ben-end – n Sc/G – the inner part of the house – see “ben the hoose” ben the hoose – Sc phrase - through in another part of the house, distinguished from the kitchen, often referring to the bedroom, or the living room, in general the inner part of the house bendin – n G - the end of a baited line, a thicker piece of cord/tow to be attached to the flag/buoy rope. One Gourdon baiter always blessed the bending when finished baiting with “God bless the bendin” besom/bissom/bizom – n Sc – a broom, a sweeping brush, often with hard, rough bristles, originally fashioned from heather or plant stems besom/bissom – n Sc – used of woman or child to indicate mischievous or obstreperous behaviour, often used teasingly – cheeky besom - sometimes with a contemptuous undertone to suggest ill natured or even loose behaviour bicht/bight – n Sc/ Ne Sc – a noose or loop on the rope or halyards. bide – v Sc – to live, stay, reside bidie-in – n Sc – someone living with another, unmarried, a partner biddum /buddom – n Sc – bottom birl – v Sc – twirl/spin round/whirl rapidly – e.g. in dancing birs/birz/birze – v Sc – to press down hard, push, squeeze birse – n/v Sc/ Ne Sc - raised hackles > temper/anger – to flare up angrily. birstle/ birsle/birselt/birstled – v Sc –cooked/fried till nearly burnt – very crisp bittie – n Sc bit, piece bladdit/blaudit/blaidit – adj Sc – spoilt, damaged, spotted blate – adj - Sc – backward at coming forward – bashful, shy blaw – v Sc – to blow, of wind – also – to boast, brag blether – v S- talk foolishly, brag boatie – n Sc –boat, dim. of boat, used affectionately, sometimes a small boat

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bobbers – n G /Ne Sc- method of fishing using a hook system of five or six hooks on a line, with three hooks whipped together as a “treble”, and feathers attached to the hooks to act as lures, also having a sinker made originally from lead but latterly using the Norwegian curved, chrome lure which also replaced the feathers.

The line is wound round a frame, often of wood and fished by agitating the line up and down to catch one or more fish on the barbed hooks, usually cod in 1950s-70s but latterly mackerel. The fisherman might spend some hours at sea at the bobbers, while waiting to tide into the harbour. This would supplement his daily catch. A similar hook system was used by children on a smaller scale for their podlie wands – see below. See also rippers bookit/boukit - adj Sc – refers to size – sma bookit = of small stature boorach/bourach – n Sc – a jumble, mess, heap, also a crowd bosie/bosey – n Ne Sc – a cuddle, hug, from bosom boss – n Sc – hollow, empty braakater – n G – harbour breakwater brander – n Sc – grating placed over a drain or sewer breenge –n and v Sc - a rapid move forward – to rush forward recklessly brat/brot – n Sc - a work apron : brot – n G – a woman’s everyday work apron broo – n Sc - forehead, eyebrow. Also gravy, cooking liquid - the bree (brew) broo – n Sc – unemployment benefit, the dole – from the French, “bureau”, office, where people signed on for the broo. Phrase – on the broo brose – n Sc – preparation of oatmeal, slaked with boiling water, with added salt and sometimes butter, eaten like porridge, steeping not required buckies – n Sc – whelks. See below slavery buckies buffelt – adj. G – buffelt up – very warmly wrapped up bubbly jock – n Sc – a male turkey bumbaze – v Sc – perplex, bewilder, stupefy – pt – bumbazed bumbaleerie – n Sc backside, bottom

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but-and-ben – n Sc – a two-roomed house or cottage, often set in the countryside, sometimes used as a holiday cottage but-end – n Sc – the kitchen butterie/buttery – n Ne Sc – a buttery rowie – a flat, flaky morning roll, using fat/butter as a main ingredient, distinct from the common rounded morning roll – originally from Aberdeen – an Aiberdeen butterie – see rowie byke/bike – n Sc – a wasp’s nest byordinar – adj./adv. Sc – extreme/extremely, unusual/ly – beyond ordinary

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C caff – n Sc – bed mattress filling of chaff - oat husks and other grains after winnowing – a caff bed caffie/calfie – n Sc – young calf caller – Adj. Sc – fresh, cold – as in caller herring or the caller air carl doddies – n G/NeSc pl.- a ribwort plantain, “hard head” : the plant was named after Bonnie Prince Charlie and King George II – one an exiled Jacobite, the other, the Hanoverian King of Great Britain - Charlie and Georgie/Carl and Dod. The hard head of the plant was used by children in a game to beat the “hard head” held by his/her opponent – Jacobite versus Hanoverian cartie – see below kertie – n G cassa / cassie/casey – n Sc - pavement, cobbled street : cassie/causey steen – n Sc - cobble stone chauve/chave/tyauve – v Sc – to labour, work very hard, struggle cheeper – n G – kiss on the cheek chinty/chanty – n Sc/Ne Sc – chamber pot, potty chooch/cheugh/teuch – adj. Sc – tough, chewy chumley/ chimla – n – Sc/G – mantelpiece chumla – n G – chimney claes – n Sc clothes – phrase – auld claes and porridge – back to the workaday world after a holiday or celebration claik – n and v Sc – gossip, chatter, tattle clarty/clorty – adj. Sc – dirty, muddy. sticky clartit – adj. G – very dirty, coated with dirt/mud clat – n Sc – a kind of hoe/ tool for spreading matter clean connicht – G phrase – completely spoiled – see below – connach/connicht cleek – n Sc – hook or crook cleek/click – n Sc – boyfriend

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clippit – v Sc – cut, clipped, shorn – a clip = a haircut, usually a male haircut clod – n Sc – a wheaten loaf cloddie – n G – roll cloot – n Sc – cloth – phrase clip cloots – of a person who talks unceasingly, a yapping woman clootie dumpling – n Sc – a rich, dark, steamed pudding, containing raisins, sultanas etc., cooked in a cloot/cloth. For a birthday treat, the dumpling would be cooked with silver threepennies in it, or perhaps sixpences. My mother would always wrap the coins in greaseproof paper for protection. clout – n Sc – blow, slap – e.g. to the ear – a clout in the lug, sometimes clour in the lug clout – clout shooting – n Sc – in archery – a portable target, sometimes simply a cloth used as a target, e.g. placed on the brae clove/cloved – v G and Fife – dividing the line into three portions, coiled tear-shaped, attached to the clove stick, with the snuds across it to keep them out of the bark ready for the line to be barked/ barkit. See – snuds and barkin. clue/cloo/clew – n G - a clue on yer doup – the squirming about of a child on one’s lap, restless as if sitting on a ball of straw or wool clype - v Sc - to tell on clype – n Sc - a tell-tale – Ne Sc – clypie clash pie where the tell tale is compared to a magpie (pyot) clamouring. coalie bag/back – n Sc/G – a piggy back, the carrying of a child on one’s back like a sack of coal coom – n Sc - coal dust coof/cuif – n Sc/Ne Sc (+Angus) – a foolish, dull-witted and spiritless fellow : a coward connach/connich – v - Sc/Ne Sc – spoil, waste, destroy; connacht/connached – pt/adj. - spoiled contermacious/contermashus/coontermashes – adj. Sc – contrary, perverse, self-willed, obstinate cooper – v G – to overwhelm, overcome – pt – coopered – overcome with heat

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coorie – v Sc – to snuggle, nestle – corrie doon – cuddle down in bed corse feet – n G - star fish, with five points, often hauled aboard with the lines corsin ging/coursin ging – n G - the wooden stick dividing the scull for line baiting, roughly in the middle, with the gob above for the rows and rows of baited hooks and the bottom part for the coiled line. The first row of mussels is placed on the corsin ging once the gob has been lined with grass. Possible derivation – in the phrase “course to go”. See gob, scull coup/cowp – v Sc – spill, overturn, empty – also to dump rubbish - pt – coupit/cowpit couthy/couthie/coothie – adj. Sc – homely, unsophisticated, friendly and sympathetic cowp/coup – n Sc – a dump, a place for emptying rubbish cowk – v Sc/Ne Sc – to retch, vomit, spew crabbit – adj. Sc – bad tempered, ill-natured, grumpy, cross, in a bad mood crannie – n Ne Sc – the little finger, pinkie creel – n Sc – a large basket for transporting fish, peat, bread creel - n G – a large cage-like, wicker structure, supported lengthwise with rounded, heat-treated cane sticks, woven net round these supports, or later flat and oblong in shape, with wooden struts, an aperture for removing the catch and a woven trap, baited to catch crabs/partans. Also used for lobster fishing creeshie mealie – n G – a dish of meat, oatmeal, onions and fat, cooked/steamed in an upright earthenware/delft jug or jar – very rich and tasty – sometimes simply oatmeal fried in fat. The former was my great aunt’s speciality : my father loved it. cushie-doo – n Sc – ring dove or wood pigeon, cushat dove crowket – n G - uneven mussel cuits/queets – n Sc - ankles

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D dab – v Sc – to peck at, of birds – similar movement by humans – to dip, touch lightly,e.g. “gie it a dab wi a cloot” - also to give or withhold information – e.g. “never let dab” dab – n G – a small fluke, flat fish, flounder dachle – v – G/Ne Sc - to dawdle, loiter daidle – n – Sc – a child’s bib > a workman’s apron with a bibbed pocket on the front dad/daud/dawd – v and n Sc – to beat, strike – a blow, stroke – also big lumps or clumps of a substance – e.g. mud – sometimes a piece or chunk of bread daivert/dayvert – adj. G – numbed, e.g. numbed hands, very cold, fushionless dander/dawnder/dauner – v Sc – to stroll, saunter danders – n Sc - cinders daupie/daupy – n – G – rabbit, e.g. skin the daupie – said to a child when removing very tight fitting juper over the head. daydelt – adj. G – spoiled, damaged, knocked about, broken down – v G – daydel/daydeled – as for daydelt deddie/deydie – n G - grandfather deave – v Sc - deafen, annoy with ceaseless questions, pester continuously deef/deif – adj. Sc – deaf deuk – n Sc – a duck – jeuk/jouk below dicht – v and n Sc – to wipe clean, a wipe ding – v Sc – to beat, strike, defeat – pt – dang, dung ding/in doon – v Sc – raining/ snowing heavily dinger – n G – to go one’s dinger – lose one’s temper, to act in a vigorous, boisterous fashion dirl – v – Sc – to throb, pulsate, vibrate, rattle – referring to sound or motion or both dirlie been – n – Sc/Ne Sc - funny bone. elbow 13

divot – n Sc – a clump of grass and mud, a clod, sod disjaskit – adj. Sc – dejected, downcast, depressed, weary looking docken - n Sc – dock plant, its leaves, useful to relieve nettle stings, especially the sappy, inner part of the leaf. Also something worthless – nae worth a docken leaf doddies – n G pl. – mittens doh – v G – to do – dohin – doing - pres. participle doitit – adj. Sc – lacking sense, intelligence – dottled – see below doo – n Sc – pigeon, originally dove > rock pigeon > any pigeon dook – n G – a swim – v Sc – to swim – pres. p - dookin dookers – n – G – a swimming costume doon/doun – adv. Sc - down doon by/doun by – adv. G -the boat is taken down and moored at the harbour mouth to facilitate getting out to sea next morning with the remaining tide – allowing the fishermen to stay in bed a little longer, instead of getting up at 3 a.m., for example. Gourdon is a tidal harbour. “I’m awa to tak the boat doon by”. doon by – n G – the harbour area of Gourdon - down in the old village – doon-the-brae as opposed to up–the-brae or up-by where the new houses were built donnert – adj. Sc – stunned, overwhelmed, dazed, stupefied doos’ dookit/doocote – n G – pigeon loft – a dovecote doup/dowp – n Sc – buttocks, posterior, backside, bottom dottled – n Sc – forgetful, confused, senile – from “dotage” doupie/doutie/dowtie – n G – cigarette butt dour – adj. Sc - stern, severe, cheerless, dogged, obstinate, sulky, dull, gloomy dowie – adj. Sc – sad, melancholy, dispirited, dreary, dull, dismal – of persons, places, weather. dozent/dozend/dosent – adj. G – slow to comprehend – slowwitted, daft, stupid dreel – n Sc – drill, furrow dreep – v Sc to drip, drain, strain dreep – n Sc – a dull, spiritless person, lacking “go” – also Sammy dreep 14

dreich – adj. Sc – tedious, wearisome and also bleak, dreary and gloomy of weather drite – n Ne Sc – excrement : v – Ne Sc – excrete – up ere the drake drites – up very early, before the male duck excretes droggie/druggie – n Ne Sc/Aberdeen – a druggist, chemist drookit – adj. Sc – soaking wet droon – v Sc – to drown drooth/drouth – n Sc – a thirst, usually for alcohol, also drought, a spell of dry/very weather – also droothie/drouthie – adj. Sc – thirsty, usually for alcohol dub/s – n Sc – mud dunt – n and v Sc – a hard blow/shove/knock, to strike heavily dwam/dwaum – n Sc – a trance, daydream – also faintness

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E echt/aicht – v Sc/G – belong to – e.g. “Fas echt that book?”

“Fas echt that bairn?” echt/aicht – v Sc/G – owe – e.g. “I’m echin you half a croon” een – n Sc – plural - eyes elbick – n – Ne Sc : elbuck – Sc – elbow. erse – n Sc – the backside – the erse o’ yer breeks ettle – v Sc – to try, attempt, endeavour

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F fa – v Sc – fall – faen – pp – faed? – pt – fell fae – prep. Ne Sc – from faird/fairt/feart – adj.Sc - afraid fairdie/feardie/feartie – n Sc – a cowardly person, a coward fankle/fangle – v and n Sc – a muddle, a tangle, to tangle, disorder, ravel, also fankelt – adj. Sc – disordered, tangled, muddled fantoosh – adj. Sc – flashy, showy, over-elaborate, fanciful fash – v Sc – annoy bother, upset or agitate – upset or agitate oneself – dinna fash yersel – fashed – pt Farfar Summons – phrase – G - a serious calling to account – e.g. “a face like a Farfar Summons” where Forfar in Angus is seen as the location of administrative power, police courts etc. fause – adj. Sc – false – also fause faces – facemasks worn at Halloween for guisin (see below) ferfashen/forfashen – adj./pp Sc – extremely harassed or annoyed ferfochin/forfochen/fair ferfochin – adj./ppSc - G – fairfochen – tired to the point of exhaustion. ferlie – n Sc – a wonder, curiosity, novelty: n G – fairlies plural fernitickle/ferntickle – n Sc – a freckle fess/ fesh – v Sc - to fetch : foosh/fohss – fetched – pt ficher – v Sc/Ne Sc – fumble, fiddle about with the fingers ficherie – adj. Sc/Ne Sc – intricate, fussy, of a fiddly task fiddler’s biddin – n Sc – last minute invitation to an event finnan haddie – n Sc – smoked haddock – from fish processed in that way in Findon, Aberdeenshire fit – n Sc – a foot fit – pron. Sc - what fizzog/visog – n G/Sc - face

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flashie – n G – a torch – also termed a battery in Gourdon from its means of power flea cemetery – n G – a cake liberally sandwiched with raisins flech – n Sc - a flea flech/flaich – v. Sc – to fidget, to be restless – n Sc – a restless person, especially when fidgeting on the lap fleg – n Sc – a fright – v – to frighten, scare flegit/fleyit – adj. Sc – frightened Fluke Kirkie – n G - Mission Hall, Gourdon’s equivalent to a church built, with money from fishing for flukes (flounders) et flukes – n Sc – flounders, flatfish foo – adv. Ne Sc - how fool/foul – adj. Sc – dirty, unwashed fool orra moch – Sc/G phrase – a dirty, shabby, disgusting person – see below – orra, mochie/mochy fool pail – n G - toilet bucket fordel – n Sc – a reserve supply, extra, work done ahead of time – adj. – ahead with work, organised. footer – v Sc/G – footer aboot – to potter about in a impractical, useless way footery task – n G – a fiddly, awkward job forby – prep./adv. – besides, in addition forkietail – n Sc – earwig, a kind of golach – see horny golach below fou/fu – adj. Sc – full, usually of drink foost – n Sc – mould, mildew – v – to smell fusty, mouldy foosty/foostit – adj. G/Sc – musty, mouldy smelling foostit/fuisted – v G/Ne Sc – bothered – e.g. “I canna be foostit dohin that” – showing repugnance for the task fowk – n Sc – people freends – n G – kin, relatives, as opposed to simply friends – freends o’ oors – e.g. second cousins or usually even more distant relatives funnel – n G – from line fishing - a circular, hollow tube about three or four feet in length and approximately six inches wide, with 18

an internal handle, used to run the baited lines into the sea. The fisherman holding the funnel, places it above the top part of the scull (the gob), the oblong basket containing the baited line with its rows and rows of baited hooks. The end of the line (the bending) is attached to a strong, thicker cord (hemp tow) which is attached to a flag (a buoy) which is flung into the sea, causing the line to start to run out over the funnel, keeping the hooks clear – shooting the line funnelbunch –n G - a disruption in the shooting of the line when hook/s from one row run into hooks from another below and cause confusion and muddle. fusionless/fushionless – adj. Sc - having no energy or stamina, lacking vigour or ability. fykie – n Sc – a fiddly task, tricky and intricate – see above also ficherie

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G galluses/gallowses – n Sc – trouser braces gang – v Sc – to go, move, go away, walk gansey/ganzie – n Sc - fisherman’s jersey : with buttons, often pearl, up the side of the neck – G/Ne Sc gappin/gapand – v Sc – gaping, staring at – pres p – sometimes - yawning garra water – adj. + n – G – referring to the dirty liquid that comes from the dirt on the mussel shells for line fishing and baiting, not dirty in general. It may be used to refer to the bag or piece of sackcloth a woman baiter would place on her knees to protect her clothes from the dirty water, garra bag, perhaps originally the bag that had contained a delivery of mussels. gawkit – adj. Sc – awkward, clumsy geel – See jeel geet/get – n Sc/Ne Sc – a child, sometimes a brat gey/gye/gie – adv. and adj. Sc – very, notably, a good quantity or amount gibbery – See jibbery gie – v Sc – to give ging – v Ne Sc – to go – Expres. – ging to the sea – go out to sea, to go out to fish but also one’s occupation/profession – he gings to the sea – sometimes used derogatively – There’s fishermen and there’s fowk that jist ging to the sea where the former – fishermen are regarded as professionals and the others as less dedicated. gie – tak a gie to – n G - to take a notion to do something ging – n G - a row of baited hooks in line fishing where consecutive rows are placed one above another, separated by a strip of thin paper till the whole upper part of the scull basket, the gob is filled with baited line. girbet/gorbet – n Sc/G – a young, unfledged bird, a fledgling – also gorblin girn – v Sc – to grouse, grumble, moan, complain

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girse – n Sc/Ne Sc - grass (often with reference to grass used to line the scull for baited lines). glaikit – adj. Sc - foolish, stupid, slow on the uptake, silly looking glaims/glames – n Sc pl. – gleams, flames, flashes glimpet/glumpit- adj. G – sore, cramped, in spasm, twisted out of normal position, tight, uncomfortable – often with reference to a type of sore arm but also applied to other body parts. glueky/ glaiky – adj. G/Sc - silly looking. See glaikit gloamin gob – n G - the upper part of the scull basket of the baited line, containing the rows and rows of baited hooks. The gob is usually lined with slender grasses. gomeril – n Sc - a fool, a stupid person goon/goun/goonie – n Sc – gown, nightgown gowan – n Sc – the daisy, marguerite, other similar wild flowers gowdie – n Sc - a gurnard fish gowk – n Sc – a fool, a simpleton gravit/gravat – n Ne Sc/Sc - a scarf, a cravat, also the hangman’s noose, usually called a hempen gravat greet – v Sc – to cry, weep – grat – pt – grutten – pp – greetin face – a moaner, someone who constantly looks miserable, complains greitlin/grete lyn – n G – a shorter line than the 1200 hook line which (ironically) was termed “sma line”. The greitlin might have 600 hooks and might be baited at sea by the fishermen greymaager – n and adj. G – a person with a an unshaved, untidy stubble, the beginnings of a beard – requiring a shave, grippie – adj. Sc – mean with money grouser/grosset – n Sc – a gooseberry grue – v Sc to shudder with disgust, fear, revulsion – that wid gar ye grue – Sc expres. guddle – n Sc - a muddle, a mess, a state of disorder, often of household work and of children playing in the gutter. Also a verb – to be engaged in dirty, messy work guff – n Sc – a strong unpleasant smell, a stench, a stink

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guiser – n Sc – one of a party of children who go round the doors in disguise or fancy dress, usually wearing masks or “fause faces” – false faces, at Halloween or in earlier times at Hogmanay, singing, dancing, reciting in return for sweets or coins. This tradition is now almost completely replaced by an American substitution, called Trick or Treat. guisin – v Sc – carrying out the actions described above, being a guiser gumption – n Sc – common sense, shrewdness, mother wit. Also gumptionless – adj. Sc – lacking wit and common sense. gushet – n G – an inserted piece of cloth to extend or widen a seam gurlin – adj. G – refers to an outside, stone stair to the top of a building guntie – n G – a young catfish gutty pergees/pergies / gutties – n Sc pl. – gym shoes, plimsolls, anything made wholly or partly of rubber/gutta percha/india rubber gutty – n G – small, secondary harbour – specifically the Gutty Herber across from Brimmie’s fishhouse gype – Sc/G – n – a foolish, awkward person, a silly ass – gypit – adj. – silly, foolish, witless. When doubled – e.g. gypit gomeril or dozend gype - the meaning is reinforced! See dozend, gomeril

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H haar – n Sc – a chilling sea mist, coming in from the sea, especially on the east coast, often in spring, usually dispersed inland from the coast. habber – v Sc - to stutter, stammer hack – n Sc/Mearns – a certain amount, time, distance – e.g.

“He’s aye a hack ahint”. Also n Sc/Ne Sc – a cut – a measure above – “A hack abeen the common” and n – a chap, crack in the skin, usually of the finger or heel, caused by cold, frost, wet. Also Also v Sc – to cut, chop, into pieces with an axe. hackit – adj. Sc – chopped up – “hackit neeps”, “hackit corn” Also chapped, cracked – fingers, heels, legs haddie/s – n Sc – haddock, the diminutive form of haddock halfie – n G – a half loaf – or small loaf hairst – n Sc - harvest hallyrackit/hallirackit – adj. Sc/Ne Sc - boisterous and loud in behaviour, thoughtless, daft, tom-boyish – perhaps also clumsy, untidy, shabby hansel – n Sc – a good luck gift, usually given at New Year hap – v Sc – to wrap or cover, with clothes to keep warm, also with bedclothes; hap up, happit – warmly dressed against the cold.

Also of plants, covered with earth or straw. harl – v Sc – to surface, roughcast the walls of a house with a mixture oflime and small stones haver/haiver – v Sc – speak foolishly, talk nonsense, babble.

Also n – haverer – one who havers. heeril harril – adj. G - down at heel heich – adj. Sc – high, over-excited, high spirited, excitable hen/hennie/henny – n Sc / n Sc dim. – hen - a term of endearment for a girl or woman, in the sense of chicken, bird, little bird - dear little girl/woman. Also – hennie, hennie deuk/jeuk/jouk; hennie deukie/jeukie/joukie, baa lammie -n / expres. G - an emphatic expression of affection – little hen, little duck, little lamb spoken as one statement to give 23

comfort and love to an upset or hurt recipient or simply to express intense affection, often to a child henny – adj. Sc – afraid, timid, cowardly, reluctant – e.g. about swimming in cold water or about fighting in the playground heuk – n Sc - hook, n G - the particular hooks used for baiting the line himbest/himbist – G n - the last one. Sc – hindmost hin end – n Sc – the end, the very end, the back, last hingin luggit – adj. Sc - looking downcast, dejected, abashed.

Also other combinations – e.g. hinging heidit, hingin chafted ( long jawed) hippans/hippins/hippens – n Sc - nappies hippit – adj. Sc - with stiff, sore hips or thighs from stooping or remainng too long in one position. hirple – v Sc – to limp, hobble hoad – v G – to hide – hoddit/hodded – v past p. G - hidden hoast – n Sc – a cough. Also v Sc – to cough ; hoastin – v Sc – pres.p - coughing ho ho noo – Gurden greeting – hello now – possible variant of Gaelic – “Ho ro” hoor – n Sc – whore, prostitute – sometimes used offensively of any woman horny gollach – n Ne Sc/ - hotner – n G – an earwig hough – n Sc – shin joint of meat – potted hough/heid – a dish of jellied meat hoven – adj. G – sour faced howk – v Sc – to dig, delve humph – v Sc – to haul a heavy load, carry something heavy – e.g. a sack of tatties or bag of messages hunker – v Sc – to crouch down – hunker doon – on the haunches hunkert/hunkert doon – v Sc – pp – crouched down/in a crouch down position on your hurdies- see below hunkit – adj. G – constricted by clothes that are too tight fitting hurdies – n S – hips, buttocks, haunches 24

hurl – n Sc – a lift, in a car - v Sc – to drive or wheel away hurstle/hirstle – n and v G – a wheeze in the chest, to wheeze hyne/hine – adv. Sc/Ne Sc – away, elsewhere, not here, hence – hine awa – far away. Also adv. G - hyndies – far away, very far away hyter – v Ne Sc – to stumble, walk unsteadily

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I ill-trickit – adj. Sc/ Ne Sc – full of mischief, and tricks ingle - n S – fireside, the fire on the household hearth inaboot – adv./prep. G – close to, far in, from outside to inside, into the heart of the house – “Come awa inaboot” – come right in - “Come inaboot the fire” – close to the fire inabootcomer – n Sc – a newcomer, incomer, someone, not local who has come from elsewhere in-by/in by – prep./adv. G – into, from outside to inside, closer towards oneself, towards, towards the inner part of the house. Also close to the coast/shore when fishing ingin/ingan – n Sc – onion Also ingin Johnnie – n G - an itinerant onion seller, usually from France who travelled the country on a bicycle selling onions which were hung in strings from his bicycle handlebars.

J jalouse/jaloose – v Sc – to suspect, guess, have doubts about jannie – n Sc – school janitor jeel/geel – v Sc - to freeze, congeal, be benumbed with cold jeeled/geeled – adj. Sc/Ne Sc – frozen, very cold jeely/jeelie – n Sc – jelly, table jelly, sometimes also “jam” as jeuk/jouk – n duck –see deuk above jibbery/gibbery – n Sc - confectionary, sweetmeats, fancy cakes.

Also a man or woman who sells gingerbread jing-bang – n Sc – the whole group, bunch, the whole lot, whole affair jink – v Sc - to move, weave in and out nimbly, dodge joco – adj. Sc – jovial, merry, cheerful, chuffed jouk - .v Sc – to duck, dodge

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K keech – n Sc – excrement, dirt keek – n and v Sc – peep. glance, a quick, sometimes sly look – v pt keekit – also keekie-bo – expres. G – peep-bo kertie – n G - cart made from wooden box and old pram wheels – dim. of cart – cartie – used for play kinkhoast/hoast – n Sc - whooping cough – from kink – v – to cough and gasp, choke, especially of whooping cough and hoast – to cough See above kinket – adj. Sc – dented, bent, twisted, not straight kist – n S – chest, box, trunk kittle – v Sc – to tickle – kittlie – ticklish, to be susceptible to tickling kniv/s – n Sc pl. – See nieves – fist/s knype/knype on – v Ne Sc – to keep going, to work away - aye knypin on kye – n Sc – cattle

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L la di da/laddie dah – n G - fringe of hair, like a boy’s hair cut laldy/laldie – n Sc – action which is energetic and vigorous – expres. gie it laldy lammie/s – n Sc – lamb/s, diminutive – little lamb/s – also a term of endearment – also hennie deuk/jeuk/jouk hennie deukie/jeukie/joukie, baa lammie - n/ expres. G - see above hen, deuk – little chicken, little duck, little lamb – spoken as one statement, emphasising the affection and concern, especially when the recipient is upset or hurt but also to express fond love, usually for a child lave – v Sc – to wash, rinse, to splash water over the face lavey/lavvy – G/Sc – n – lavatory, toilet, water closet – from French “laver” – to wash, cleanse lemmies- from lume – bowl, dish > n Sc dim. - broken pieces of pottery, china, “bonnie lemmies” found on the beach. lid o my wit – expres. G? – bonnet/bunnet, cap/hat lifter – n G – ladle – to scoop water lintie – n Sc – a linnet – expres. – singin like a lintie lippen – v Sc – to trust, rely, depend on, have confidence in loon/loun – n Ne Sc – a lad, boy – dim. loonie, loonikie loorichin – v G – pres. p - nodding off loup/lowp – v Sc – to leap, spring, jump – pt – loupit – also sea louper/ lowper / sand lowper – n Sc – the sand fly lousin/lowsin time – n expres. Sc – finishing time, end of work – from detaching team from the plough – Also lowse/lowsin- v Sc – to unfasten, pres. p - releasing, setting free, loosening lowments – n G pl. – garments, clothes – “to hing out twa-three lowments on the washing line” lowsins/losens/lohsins – n Sc/G - windows – often windows with small panes of glass, originally diamond-shaped lug – n Sc – ear lum – n Sc – a chimney – expres. lang may yer lum reek – may you live long 28

M machless – adj. G - handless maik – n Sc – a halfpenny mair – adj. and adv. Sc - more maiss – n G – a mess malagruize/malagroose – v Sc/G – to punish, sometimes by beating or hitting but in Gourdon often merely a threat to take severe action to stop bad behaviour – used humorously mannie – n Sc – a man - also n Ne Sc – a man with some official role, e.g. the gas man, the mannie fae the Gas Board to read the meter – also the man in charge of something – e.g. the farmer or skipper mappie – n Sc – a rabbit, a pet/tame rabbit – map map – n dim.

– bunny – from v Sc – map – to nibble like a rabbit mappie mou – n Ne Sc – the snapdragon mappit – adj. G – stupid marless – adj. G – unmatching – of gloves or shoes etc. that don’t match marlies – n G - , unmatched, different socks maun – v Sc – must meggy-mony-feet – Sc expres. – the centipede messages – n Sc pl. – shopping, purchases/items of shopping midgie – n Sc – the midge ming – n and v Sc – smell, stink – mingin – smelly – popular contemporary expression mink/minker – n contemporary Sc. – a scruffy, smelly person – usually disreputable – also minky – adj. dirty and smelly mixter-maxter – adj/adv. Sc – mixted up, jumbled up, in confusion, disordered midden – n Sc – dunghill, also farm manure, refuse dump, rubbish dump, domestic rubbish mirac – adj. G – intoxicated, drunk

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mochy/mochie – adj. Sc – damp, moist, muggy from moch – warm, moist, misty, often unpleasant atmosphere molens/moulins – n G – small,crisp pieces or crumbs, crispy chips, also dregs mows/mowse – n Sc – a joke, jest, laughing matter – often with negative implications –“ it’s nae mows to be a marry’d wife. “ much/mutch – n Sc/G - hair covering as in a mutch, hair itself.

The lassie’s a richt grannie mutchie – the girl is old for her years – acts in a solemn way mussel troch – n G - wooden trough or box used for mussels required to shelled to bait a line in line fishing

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N nae – ad. Sc – no. not nae weel – adj. Sc/ G – not well, ill Narvik – n G – McGill Terrace, a street in Gourdon, built at the time of the Battle of Narvik during WW1 neb/nib – n Sc – nose – His Nibs – the Jack in a pack of cards, used in the game of cribbage for the Jack – expres. – one for His Nibs neep – n Sc – a turnip neep – n Sc – a stupid person – “ye daft neep” neep-heid – n Sc – stupid person neepit – adj. G - like a neep, dense, slow on the uptake nieve/s/niv/s/kniv/s – n Sc – clenched hand, fist/fists nippit – adj. Sc – neat, close fitting, small, very tight fitting

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O oggit – adj. G - exhausted and scunnert (see s below), fed up, with a touch of disgust onding – n Sc – heavy, continuous fall of rain or snow, a downpour onweel/unweel – adj.Sc – unwell, ill, sick, in poor health – also nae weel oo/woo – n Sc/NeSc wool – aa ae oo – expres. Sc - all one wool, all the same material – all equal oo/oose – n Sc – dust, stour/ stew (see s below), from bedclothes, found under the bed, fluff ooin cloot – n Sc/G -floor cloth ootament/ ootiment – adj. G – feeling out of things, outcast, deliberately kept out of a group – isolated, lonely, upset, anxious orra – adj. Ne Sc – coarse, uncouth – also orra – adj. Sc – unskilled, doing the basic, work, as in orra loon/ orra man – on a farm orrals – n Sc /G – bits and pieces, odds and ends, scraps, leftovers ower – prep. Sc – over and adv. too, as in ower het – also prep.

Sc – oot ower – out and over, over the top oxters – n Sc - armpits

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P pailin – n Sc/NeSc – fence, fence/paling post pandy/pandies – n Sc – a stroke/strikes with the strap or cane on the palm of the hand, usually by the schoolmaster partan /partin– n Sc - from Gaelic partan - a crab, usually the common, edible crab pech – v Sc – to pant/gasp for breath, out of puff peenie – n Sc – apron, a woman’s apron, also a child’s pinafore peerie – n Sc – a child’s spinning top, also an empty pirn/thread bobbin peerie – adj. Sc – small, little, tiny, possibly a misspelling of peedie, especially Orcadian and Shetlandic peely-wally adj. Sc – pale and unhealthy looking pend – n Sc – a close, alleyway, leading through to the back court of a house, a passageway between houses – originally an arched passageway piece/piecey – n Sc – a piece of bread or cake etc – including play piece, a piece consumed at school playtime or break = piecey time – playtime, lunchtime. Also applies to workers and to tattie picking by children. Compare the song about the “jeely piece” = a piece of bread and jam piece box – n Sc – lunch box pinkie – n Sc – the little finger – anything very small pinkie – n dim. Sc – the primrose – see spinkie – n dim. G – the primrose pints/pynts – n Sc – boot or shoe lace, sometimes of cord or leather pirn/purn – n Sc - a reel, spool for thread pirnie taed – adj. Sc – with turned in toes pish – n and v Sc – to urinate, a “piss” pleengie/s, pleenge/s – n Sc - seagull/s, usually the young herring gull pleen – v Sc – to lament, moan, mourn, complain

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pleiter – n and v Sc – a wet, muddy mess – to move through wet and mud. See plouter/plowter pleuchter – n Sc – a countryman, a ploughman – from pleuch plough, sometimes used derogatatively – also see teuchter – a countryman, used contemptuously – country bumpkin – originally used of someone from the North, a Highlander plook/pluke/plouck – n Sc – a pimple, a pustule plooky – adj. Sc – pimpled, spotty – plooky-faced plouter/plowter/pleiter – v Sc - to dabble, splash about in water, mud and also to potter about aimlessly plump – n Sc – a sudden heavy downpour – also a thunder plump po – n G – pot, chamber pot, potty podlie – n Sc – the young of the coalfish, small, minnow-like fish podlie wand – n G - fishing rod, often homemade, used to catch podlies. See above bobbers for details of the positioning of hooks. pockmantie/pokeminty – n Sc – a travelling bag, bag or handbag pooch/pouch – n Sc – pocket – diminutive – poochie/pouchie – pocket in a garment – also n G – nickname for someone who pockets/nicks items – a thief poor cratur – n G - elderly person, usually someone frail and weak pout/pouties – n Sc– a small haddock from pout – the young of a game bird - any young/small creature – often referring to the young haddock in the diminutive form - poutie preen – n Sc – safety pin or pin press – n Sc – cupboard prig – v Sc – beg, implore, haggle, bargain puckle/pucklie/pickle/picklie – n Sc - a small amount puffy cheudler – n G – a cream cookie purlie/pirlie – purlie pig – n Sc – a money box, originally circular in shape, of earthenware, with a slot for coins pyocher – v Ne Sc – to cough, puff, wheeze and n Ne Sc – a cough, a coughing fit

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Q quaich – n Sc – a drinking cup, usually two-handled, originally of wood, now of ornamental silver, used as a trophy queets/cweets – n Ne Sc/ G – ankles quine – n Ne Sc – a girl, lass/lassie, unmarried woman – dim. quiney

R raivel/raevel/ravel – n Sc – confusion, tangle, muddle, an untidy mess – also plural - raivels raivel – v Sc/G – to disorder, tangle, snarl, muddle, also to get into a muddle or tangle – v pt – raivelt/raivellt – disordered, tangled – of thread or yarn and in Gourdon particularly of a line after being shot, fished and hauled in at sea raivelled – adj. Sc – of a person, confused, forgetful, rambling, dementing rakin – v G/Sc - searching for, searching through, almost the action of a rake – through embers, through a box of mussels for baiting the line. Also walking about, almost aimlessly or enjoying a wander - out on the go – e.g. shopping in town, with or without a specific purpose or aim – “Awa ti Montrose rakin round the shops” or “rakin for a nylon cardigan”. randan – n Sc – a spree, a boisterous romping outing – often involving drinking, sometimes celebrating an event or the end of the week – on the randan rans/ rawins/rahins – n G - cod roe – delicious! redd – v Sc – to make clear, tidy redd - v G – to redd the line – to untangle the shot, hauled and raivellt line, coiling it ready for the baiter next day, also replacing missing hooks (“wints” – see below) and mending any torn parts

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redd the back – v G - pass the line coiled by the baiter in the bottom of the scull back up and over the gob, ready for shooting the line next day.

Reid Lichtie – n G and Arbroath – an Arbroathman – someone from Arbroath, an Arbroath fishing boat, originally an Arbroath boat from the distinct red boat light used – literally small Red Light rickle – n Sc – a loose pile of items – a rickle o’ banes – expres.

– someone very thin, skeleton-like rift – v Sc – to belch, burp rippers – n G – hooks, often larger than on the long line, designed for pulling up and ripping over the side of a boat to catch fish, a few at a time. See above bobbers for details on positioning of hooks and details of this method of fishing. The term rippers as opposed to the Gourdon bobbers was used in Peterhead rive – v Sc – to tug and pull strongly, to struggle to tear up or out or the ground, also to tear, rip roch – adj. Sc – rough, any rough surface – skin, water, hide – also a person and of language – rough and ready, uncivilised, unrefined rone/rhonepipe – n Sc – pipe or gutter designed to carry away rain water from the eaves of a house roup – n Sc – qn auction rowies – n Sc – small rolls – of bread – butteries/ buttery rowies – n Ne Sc – a flat,flaky type of morning roll, with fat/butter as a main ingredient, originally from Aberdeen – distinct from a simple round morning roll runkit/runket – adj. /v pp Sc – skint, penniless, cleaned out, deprived of all money and possessions runkle – v Sc – to wrinkle, crease – v pt/adj. - runkelt- creased, wrinkled, crumpled ruskie/rooskie – device for drying fish, for hanging the hard dried fish – from Gael. – a circular straw basket

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S safties – n G/Ne Sc – 1. slippers 2. a soft roll sair – adj. Sc – sore, painful sair fecht – adj./n Sc – a sore fight as in “Life’s a richt sair fecht”, a hard and difficult struggle, feeling harassed, overwhelmed, over-worked sair heid – n G – a type of cake, a fancy piece saps/sops – n Sc – bread soaked/steeped in milk – sometimes termed steepies sark – n Sc shirt sautie/sauty – n Sc – salty – adj. Ne Sc - sautie bannocks – oatcakes baked with a sufficient quantity of salt to merit the adjective “salty” satties/sauties – n G dabs, flukes, flounders, n Ne Sc - also whitings, saithe and codlings sauter – n G – a sharp (salty) comment or retort scaffie – n Sc – refuse collector, dustman scaffie - n Sc – a traditional Scottish fishing boat, clinker built (with overlapping planks), used for herring fishing, from mid 19th century when it was introduced into the Moray Firth, gradually superseded by Zulu boats (see below) scam/skam – v Sc – to burn slightly, scorch, singe scart/skart – v Sc – scratch, scrape, with the nails, claws or an implement - pp and adj.– scarted/skartit. Also n Sc – a scratch, scrape scomfished – adj. G scunnered and disgusted scomfist – adj. G – stinking, smelly scoosh/skoosh – n G – a gulp/glug of liquid – “Gies a scoosh o yer lemonade” Also v Sc – to gush, spurt, splash, squirt – of liquids scowf – n G - freedom to do as you please scraich/skraich/screech - n and v Sc - a shrieking, highpitched noise or cry – to shriek, screech - also n G - at the scraich – very early, noise of birds early in the morning 37

scratcher – n G – bed scran – n Sc and slang – 1. odd pieces of food, sweetmeats, provisions, tuck 2. – scrounged items, discarded refuse, rubbish screens – n G – curtains, particularly small net curtains for the lower part of a window – dim. screenies screeve – v Sc - to graze the skin, scratch, scrape scroof – n G – a bread crust scuddlin claes – n G – children’s clothes for going out to play in, not good or best clothes, thus allowing for splashing and getting dirty and messy scull – n G/ Sc - the oblong basket for the baited line, deep at one end, shallow at the other – from similar shallow, oval baskets of wicker for carrying peats, turnips, potatoes scull muckins – n G - residue from the fished line. Once shot at sea, hauled in and the catch unhooked, any remnants of bait and other unwanted detritus such as corse feet/starfish remaining, need to be cleared. scuffle – v G – to shuffle along when walking – pres.p - scuffling scunner – n Sc – disgust, revulsion, loathing – also plural - the scunners scunner – v Sc – to feel disgust, loathing, sickness, to cause such feelings scunnert/scunnered – adj. Sc – disgusted, bored, repelled, fed up sea pie – n G – soup made with stewing steak and doughballs semmit – vest – n Sc – a man’s (or woman’s) undershirt, vest, usually of wool or flannel sharger/shargar – n and adj. G/Ne Sc – a weak, poor specimen, a poor creature - shargert – adj. – stunted looking sharn – n Sc – dung, kye sharn – cow dung shauchle – v Sc – to shuffle and shamble sheddie – n G dim. – shed, sometimes a small shed sheel blade – n G - knife used for shelling mussels, usually short handled shilpit – adj. Sc – thin, puny, under-developed, weak-looking

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shivery adj. G – a piece eaten when still shivering after swimming in a cold sea – a shivery bite – Efter sweemin in the herber we ran alang to Granny’s for a shivery bite usually a piece and jam shoogle – v Sc – to wobble, sway unsteadily, joggle – shoogly – adj. Sc – shaky, unsteady – jaicket on a shoogly peg – expres. unsteady, in danger of losing one’s job shoom/schoom – n G and in novels of Lewis Grassic Gibbon – a low humming, buzzing noise, sometimes particularly of the sound of the sea or waves breaking regularly on a stony/pebbly shore shoan – n G – Gourdon version of Scots shoon and Aberdeen/shire sheen shuther/shither/shidder/shudder – n G – shoulder shutherie/sitherie – n G – carried piggy back but on the shoulders – a shoulder-high siller – n Sc – silver, money in general sirkit – n G - fishermen’s jersey, long-sleeved, sometimes a special, dress gansey, knitted on four needles in the round, not requiring any parts to be sown together at the end, with an opening at the neck and pearl buttons to fasten it – in general a circularknit jersey skaich – n G -rubbish, bits and pieces skall – v G - to spill skeich – adj. Sc – high-spirited, excited, perhaps over-excited skidadle – v G – to move away quickly, run off, get away skiddle – n G – to pass a small amount of water in a splashy way skinnymalink/ie/skinnymalinkielanglegs – expres. Sc – a humorous name for a very thin person – skinnymalinkie lang legs, umberella feet – part of a childrens’ rhyme, with a rude word at the end! skiff – n Sc – a small type of fishing boat like a yawl, with a lug sail skirkit – adj. G – spotted and splashed skirlie – n Sc – oatmeal fried with onions and fat/suet, often as an accompaniment to meat or poultry dishes skite – v Sc – to slip, slide, slither on a slippery surface skitey – adj. G/Sc – slippery 39

skitters – n Sc plural – thin, watery excrement, diahorrea – adj. – skittery – anything loose, dirty, disgusting sleekit – adj. Sc – sly, underhanded – from adj. Sc – smooth surfaced, outwardly pleasant but actually untrustworthy slappie – n Sc – narrow passage or lane – and n G - narrow space between walls, giving access to the rear of a building or to a shed or wash-house. slaver – n and v Sc – saliva, to slobber – adj. slavery – also slavery buckies – expres. G – whelks, exuding sticky, slimy moisture sliders – n G - ice cream between two wafers as opposed to ice cream cones (chocolate sliders – ice cream wafers with chocolate marshmallow) smachery/smachary/smachrie –n Ne Sc - sweets, sweetmeats, confectionary, dainties smad – v Sc – to blemish, spot, dirty, begrime – smaddit – pt and adj. smeddum – n Sc – mettle, energy, energy, vigorous common sense, resourcefulness smirr –n Sc – fine rain, not as strong as drizzle smit – v Sc – to infect, contaminate smorin – v pp/ adj. Ne Sc – smothered, stifled, choking for want of air - smorin wi the cauld – thick, choking, heavy cold in the head – full of the cold. Also in Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon – “The night on the Slug road smoring with sleet” snarlers – n G – sausages sneck – n Sc – a latch, a door or window catch – sneckless – without a catch – on the sneck, aff the sneck sneckit – v pp Sc – latched, fastened snell – adj. Sc – of weather/wind – keen, bitter, sharp snib – v Sc – to fasten a door or window with a catch – “The windas a’ snibbed, the door sneckit” – Forfar Despatch snib – n Sc – a catch, a small bolt, a fastening snorl – n Ne Sc – a predicament, an awkward situation, muddle, confusion snorrel/snarl – n G – a knot or tangle in a fishing line - n Sc – knot, tangle twist – in general 40

snud – the snood, the cord that the tippens (see below) with the hook was attached to. The snud was then attached to the line sook/souk – v Sc – to suck – sook in / sook up to – expres. to flatter and keep in with, to curry favour, usually with someone of authority or superior ranking sookmatoshle – n G – liquorice and sherbet, a tube of sherbet with liquorice “straw” to suck it through soss – n and v Sc – a dirty, wet mess, dirt and disorder, muddle – to make a dirty, wet mess sotter – n Sc – a mess, a muddle, sometimes involving sloppiness/wetness sough/souch – n Sc – the sound of the wind, a sigh, a gasp, a way of speaking, accent, twang - keep a calm sough - expres. – keeping quiet, calm and peaceful sowens/sowins – n plural Sc – a special kind of porridge made from oats steeped in water, the oat bran and some fine meal, fermented till the liquid can be drunk and the mixture eaten like porridge or brose or used to make scones sowins – n plural G – paste/glue made with flour and water spaiver/spaver – n Ne Sc – the fly or opening in men’s trousers speir – v Sc – to ask, inquire, seek information speug/spug – n Sc – the house sparrow spew – v Sc – to be sick, throw up, vomit splicin been – n G – special tool for joining a rope or ropes by interweaving the strands at the ends – from “splicing” and “bone”, indicating the pointed and tapered shape of the tool spinkie – n G – dim. the primrose spoot/spoots – n/plural Sc – gutter/s, usually horizontal roof gutters spurtle – n Sc – a wooden cooking implement, pot stick, for stirring, turning food or baking – a porridge stick – see theevil stammick – Gourdon pronunciation of “stomach” stammygaster – n Ne Sc – an unpleasant surprise/shock, a disapointment stap – v Sc – to thrust, cram, press, shove – a person or an item into something - adj. /pp – stappit - full-up, stuffed with food,

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also crammed into something or somewhere – also in cooking – to stuff steek – n/v Sc – a stitch/to stitch in knitting or sewing – withoot a steek – naked, without clothes – “no a steek on but her sark” - also a stitch in the side steek – v Sc – to close a door or window, shut, lock up. Also refers to the eyes –expres.- “steek yer een”/”steekit his een” – shutting the eyes tightly to try to get to sleep steek the wicket – Gourdon phrase? – shut the door steen – n Ne Sc – a stone steer – n Sc – a bustle, muddle, confusion, hard-pressed with work, crowded – of persons or places steer – v Sc – to stir as in cooking and baking sterve – v Sc – to be cold, very cold, freezing cold – pt and adj. sterven – sterven wi cauld – expres. Sc – feeling very cold, chilled, frozen – stervation – bitter cold. Also used of hunger stew – n Sc- dust, thick swirl of dust – also mill stew. See below stoor stob – v Sc – wound or pierce with sharp object or implement – also n Sc – the wounded place – e.g. the finger - also the cause of the wound – e.g. a thorn, prickle, spike stobbie/stobby nettle – n G – a stinging nettle stobbie ombo – Gourdon phrase - hard up stookie – n Sc – the plaster encasing a broken limb, a plaster cast stoond/stound –v Sc – to be painful, smart, throb – stoondin/stoundin – v Sc – pres.p - throbbing, smarting stoor/stour – n Sc – dust – adj. stoorie/stourie - dusty stoot / stootit – v G – to support, prop up – adj./ pp - propped up stot – v Sc – to bounce, of a ball – pt – stotted – bounced stotter/stoater – n Sc – an attractive female – a stunner stracht/straucht – adj. Sc – straight stramash – n Sc – a row, disturbance, commotion strap – n Sc - the belt, the tawse.

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stravaig – v Sc – to roam, wander, gad about – pres.p – stravaigin sugarellie water – n G – liquorice water – hard pieces of liquorice cut up from a stick of liquorice and added to a bottle of water, ideally a brown bottle which is shaken and shaken and shaken to produce the liquorice drink. The bottle should be kept in a dark place overnight and taken out next day, shaken again before sampling. Delicious! Ideally the process should be repeated over several days before sampling! swack – adj. c – supple, nimble, agile sweel – v Sc – to wash, rinse, swill – e.g. lentils, rice – also to rinse out a utensil – e.g. a cooking pot. sweetiewifie – n Sc – a person, male or female who is very gossipy – often used derogatively when referring to a man – from a sweet seller sweir – adj. Sc – unwilling, reluctant, lazy swick – n and v Sc – a cheat, a swindler, to cheat, swindle, deceive – pt – swickit swither switherin – v Sc – to be in a state of uncertainty, in two minds, switherin – pres.p – trying to decide, weighing up your options syboes/sybows – n pl. Sc – spring onions synd/synd oot – v Sc – to rinse, rinse out, swill, wash out – syndit – pt – rinsed, swilled syne – adv./conj./prep. Sc – after, afterwards, then, next. Also lang syne – adv./adj. Sc – long ago, long since – and auld lang syne – times long ago, the past, years long ago, memories of the past

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T tacket – n Sc – a nail used to stud the soles of boots or shoes which would have a pattern of such tackets on the toes, soles and heels, to give grip and hard wear - tackety – adj. Sc – studded with tickets. tak – v Sc – to take tags – n Sc – leather strap, the belt – see tawse tammie – n Sc – a Tam 0’ Shanter bonnet, often flat in shape, sometimes with a pompop on top. See toorie taskit – adj./v pp G - heavily burdened with work- barely coping – over-burdened tatties – n pl. Sc - potatoes tattie bogle – n Sc – a scarecrow tawse – n Sc – the strap, belt, usually for chastising children in school tee-name – n Ne Sc – a byname or nickname, often very clever and colourful. An example from Gourdon is Robbie Daisy, a skipper, a teename/byname derived from his proper name – Robert Gowans, suggestive of the daisy flower theevil/thievil – n Sc – spurtle, porridge stirrer, a short, tapering, wooden tool/ stick for stirring food in cooking. teuch – see above cheuch/chooch/teuch – adj. Sc – tough, chewy teuchter – n Sc – a countryman, ploughman, often used derogatively for a person from the country or from the North, a Hihglander – a country bumpkin as opposed to a person from the town – a toonser. See above pleuchter thae – pron. and adj. Sc – those, they – thae book ower there thocht/thoucht – n Sc – thought – v Sc pt – also thochtit – adj.

Sc – worried, concerned, apprehensive – ill-thochtit – having suspicious, nasty thoughts thole - v Sc – to endure, bear, suffer the pain thoom/thoum – n Sc – thumb thrang – n Sc – the state of being on friendly terms with someone or some people - She’s nae thrang wi me the day 44

thrapple – n Sc – throat, windpipe thraw – v Sc – to twist, wring – the neck of a fowl – sometimes used of a twisted limb, such as the ankle thrawn – adj. Sc – obstinate, stubborn, contrary, perverse threed – n Sc - thread threep – v Sc – to argue, contend, assert one’s opinions in an aggressive and persistent manner – “threep doon the thrapple” expres. Sc – press one’s views forcefully on another throu – prep. Sc – through – “throu the hoose”- in another room nearby throuither/throudir/throwder – prep. G and Sc – in confusion, muddled, disorganised, slovenly, untidy tick/ticky/teeky – n Sc - a small amount, or very small quantity – a wee teeky timmer – n Sc – wood, timber tippens – n G – the horse hair strands gathered together as a cord, with the hook whipped on to the bottom end and the top end attached to the snood ( see snud) In later years polypropylene. couralene was used instead of horse hair. Once retired an old fisherman might have spent some time spinning the tippens on the tippen steen, making strong strands for his son to use to set up the line with its 1200 hooks and to prepare some in advance for repairs tippen steen – n G - a weight with a cleek for spinning the horse hair into a strong cord , ready for the hook to be whipped on. toh – adv. G - too, also toom – adj. Sc - empty toorie – n Sc - a woollen hat/ bonnet, sometimes pointed in shape, often knitted in wool – also the pompom on the top of the toorie – also used in the military as in the song – Wi a toorie on his bonnet - similar to a tammie – a Tam o’ Shanter bonnet trachle/trauchle – n Sc – a struggle, burdensome work trachelt/trauchelt – v Sc - weighed down with work, burdened, overworked, weary, exhausted, harassed tyne – v Sc – to lose, suffer loss – tint – pt - lost

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tyrannize/tyranise – v Sc – to treat harshly in the manner of a tyrant – tyrannizin – v G - pres.p – tormenting, oppressing, sometimes in a teasing way, annoying

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U unco – adj. Sc – strange, unfamiliar – also very, extremely, extraordinarily, awfully – adding intensity to the subject up abone/aboon – prep. and adv. G – up above, higher up than simply aboon up by – adv. Sc and G – up there, up the way, up to a place – in Gourdon the part of the village where the new houses were built – up-the-brae, as opposed to doon-the-brae

V vayse/vaise – n G – Gourdon pronunciation of “vase” vratch – n Ne Sc – a wretch, a rogue

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W wabbit – adj. Sc – tired, exhausted, worn out wall, wallie – n Sc – a well, diminutive -a small well wallie/wally – adj. Sc – made of porcelain or glazed china – e.g. wallie dugs – a pair of china ornaments – two dogs, proudly placed on the mantelpiece wag – v Sc – wave the hand, shake the head, signal, move wag-at-the-wa – n Sc – pendulum clock, originally hung on the wall wark - n Sc - work warnie – n G – a children’s game of tag/tig where each person tagged has to join hands, firstly with the one who is “it” and then with the person tagged next, till everyone is joined up and rushes across the playground in long, curving, glorious line warsle – v Sc – to struggle, strive, labour, try hard - warslin – pres.p – struggling, hard working watery – n G – water closet, toilet waukit – adj. G –a woollen garment that has become coarsened by washing, looking rubbed and bobbled waur – adj. Sc - worse – waur and waur – worse and worse – waur o’ the wear – made worse by constant wearing waxcloth – n Sc – linoleum, waxed or waterproofed cloth or canvas, used for floor and table coverings, oil-cloth weel – adj. Sc – well, as in health – nae very weel – also as weel - in addition weel kent – adj. Sc – well-known wersh – adj. Sc – bitter and sour tasting, tasteless, without salt, unpalatable - being too bland or too bitter whaup – n Sc – the curlew or G – lapwing wheen – n Sc – a considerable but unspecified amount wheesht/ whisht – an exclamation, calling for silence, quietness – also Haud yer wheesht/whisht – Be quiet! windikie – n G - small window, from n Sc – winnock/windock – a window, diminutive winnocky Also - winnikie o Tam’s – G 48

location – the top of the brae overlooking Gourdon, along from and above the New Dykes, shaped rather like a window opening at the top, a sort of opening dip in the hill wints - n G – wants - missing hooks from a line that has been fished at sea and lost some hooks, now requiring to be replaced while redding the line (see above) worset –n Sc – worsted, woollen fabric, wool, knitted wool wyle – v Ne Sc – to pick and choose, select from among a number of items wynd – n Sc – a narrow street, lane, alley, often winding and leading through to or away from the main street wyvin/wivin – n G - knitting

X Y yark/yarkit/yarkin – v G /pt/adj./pres. p – to pull sharply, to give/feel a surge of pain, throb/throbbed/throbbing. In school a hand that had been belted/strapped by the teacher for a misdemeanour would yark for a considerable time thereafter. yaval – adj. Sc –of a field which has produced a crop for a second time from the same field yestreen – n Sc – yesterday evening, now more generally used to signify yesterday . Also used as an adverb – “I saw him yestreen” yett – n Sc – a gate of a garden, field yoke/yokin time – v Sc – to yoke horses ready for work – thus time to start work on the farm – e.g. ploughing, tattie picking yowe – n Sc – a ewe 49

Z zulu – n Sc – type of fishing boat, with fore and mizzen mast and with straight prow and steeply raked stern for quick and easy manoeuvring, turning about. So named from the then contemporary Zulu War of 1879 in South Africa. Perhaps also indicative of the Z shape involved zulu skiff – smaller type of Zulu, generally with only one mast zulu hooses – n G - houses at the foot of Brae Road in Gourdon, also named from their building at the time of the Zulu War

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