Scottish Words
B
Bailie - a Scottish municipal magistrate
Besom - a term of contempt applied to a woman of unworthy character
Bothy - a primitive dwelling or shelter
Braw - brave, fine, excellent
Burn - a watercourse, often a small stream but can also refer to a river
Besom - a term of contempt applied to a woman of unworthy character
Bothy - a primitive dwelling or shelter
Braw - brave, fine, excellent
Burn - a watercourse, often a small stream but can also refer to a river
C
Canty - lively, cheerful, pleasant, brisk, in good spirits
Caurry-fisted - left handed. The word 'caurry' is also spelt 'corry' or 'corrie' and derives from the word for left handed which can be spelt as kerr, ker or kere. Clan Kerr is so named because of the high number of left handers in that clan, and the term 'kerr-fisted' or 'caurry-fisted' refers to the genetic trait of the Kerrs to be left handed
Clishmaclaver - gossip, chatter
Close - a courtyard or enclosed space adjoining a house
Clot-heid - idiot
Clout - a piece of cloth. It is also spelt cloot.
Cockernonny - a type of hairstyle, usually on a woman, where the hair is gathered up and wrapped in a snood, but in Outlander, chapter 31, Jenny tells Jamie she will make him a proper cockernonny and she plaits his hair into a queue.
Collop - a thickish slice of meat
Coof - fool
Corbie - a raven
Corrie - a hollow on the side of a hill
Crag/Craig - either a cliff or a hill with a steep rock face at one end
Croodle - to nestle close together for warmth or protection
Caurry-fisted - left handed. The word 'caurry' is also spelt 'corry' or 'corrie' and derives from the word for left handed which can be spelt as kerr, ker or kere. Clan Kerr is so named because of the high number of left handers in that clan, and the term 'kerr-fisted' or 'caurry-fisted' refers to the genetic trait of the Kerrs to be left handed
Clishmaclaver - gossip, chatter
Close - a courtyard or enclosed space adjoining a house
Clot-heid - idiot
Clout - a piece of cloth. It is also spelt cloot.
Cockernonny - a type of hairstyle, usually on a woman, where the hair is gathered up and wrapped in a snood, but in Outlander, chapter 31, Jenny tells Jamie she will make him a proper cockernonny and she plaits his hair into a queue.
Collop - a thickish slice of meat
Coof - fool
Corbie - a raven
Corrie - a hollow on the side of a hill
Crag/Craig - either a cliff or a hill with a steep rock face at one end
Croodle - to nestle close together for warmth or protection
D
Doit - a small copper Scottish coin
Doiter - blundering fool
Dunbonnet - a dull brown bonnet. A bonnet is a head-covering including all kinds of caps, but not hats.
Dunt - a dull blow or knock
Doiter - blundering fool
Dunbonnet - a dull brown bonnet. A bonnet is a head-covering including all kinds of caps, but not hats.
Dunt - a dull blow or knock
F
Fiddle-ma-fyke - a fussy, over fastidious person
Firth - an arm of the sea or inlet
Fricht - fright
Firth - an arm of the sea or inlet
Fricht - fright
G
Gaberlunzie - a licenced beggar
Garbeled - made a lot of noise
Girdle - a flat, circular iron plate with a hooped handle which is placed over the fire and the heated surface used for cooking things like scones & oatcakes
Gomerel - a fool or stupid person
Gowk - fool
Gralloch - the entrails of a dead deer and also the act of disembowelling a dead deer
Guid - good
Garbeled - made a lot of noise
Girdle - a flat, circular iron plate with a hooped handle which is placed over the fire and the heated surface used for cooking things like scones & oatcakes
Gomerel - a fool or stupid person
Gowk - fool
Gralloch - the entrails of a dead deer and also the act of disembowelling a dead deer
Guid - good
H
Hiddie-pyke - miser, skinflint
Hogmanay - New Year's Eve
Hough - the leg or shin of an animal
Hurdies - buttocks
Hogmanay - New Year's Eve
Hough - the leg or shin of an animal
Hurdies - buttocks
K
Kailyard - a small plot of land or kitchen garden. Named so because kale, or cabbage, was usually the main vegetable grown there
Kebbie-lebbie - altercation
Ked - a sheep tick
Kine - cows
Kittle-hoosie - a brothel
Knivvle - to beat or thrash
Kebbie-lebbie - altercation
Ked - a sheep tick
Kine - cows
Kittle-hoosie - a brothel
Knivvle - to beat or thrash
L
Laird - equivalent of the English word lord, a nobleman
Lang-nebbit - literally long-nosed, but used metaphorically to mean a nosy person
Luckenbooth - a lockable booth or shop. These were Edinburgh's first permanent shops, situated on the ground floor of tenement buildings
Lang-nebbit - literally long-nosed, but used metaphorically to mean a nosy person
Luckenbooth - a lockable booth or shop. These were Edinburgh's first permanent shops, situated on the ground floor of tenement buildings
M
Mozie auld pout-worm! - mouldy old grub!
Mumper - someone who gums their food because they have no teeth
My jo - my dear friend
Mumper - someone who gums their food because they have no teeth
My jo - my dear friend
N
Neffit - pygmy
Nettercap - a spider or a bad-tempered person
Numpty - stupid person, idiot
Nettercap - a spider or a bad-tempered person
Numpty - stupid person, idiot
O
Oxter - an armpit
P
Pibroch - the classical music of the Scottish bagpipe, sometimes used to refer to pipe music in general, or to the pipes themselves
Poolie - a louse. Also spelt poulie
Poutworm - a grub
Proddle - to poke, goad or stab
Poolie - a louse. Also spelt poulie
Poutworm - a grub
Proddle - to poke, goad or stab
Q
Qurd - a lump of excrement
S
Saft - a thaw or wet weather, mild not frosty
Sark - a man's shirt
Sasine - a legal term referring to the act of giving possession of property
Shag - To have sex. When Roger asks Brianna if she has picked up any Scottish turns of phrase, she tells him that there is a dance in the States called the Shag, but she understands that she shouldn't ask him to do it with her here. Roger replies, 'Not unless you mean it" (DIA, chapter 48)
Skelloch - shriek, scream, cry
Skoot - a conceited boaster
Skrae-shankit - having thin, spindly legs
Silkie - seal. Also spelt as selkie
Sark - a man's shirt
Sasine - a legal term referring to the act of giving possession of property
Shag - To have sex. When Roger asks Brianna if she has picked up any Scottish turns of phrase, she tells him that there is a dance in the States called the Shag, but she understands that she shouldn't ask him to do it with her here. Roger replies, 'Not unless you mean it" (DIA, chapter 48)
Skelloch - shriek, scream, cry
Skoot - a conceited boaster
Skrae-shankit - having thin, spindly legs
Silkie - seal. Also spelt as selkie
W
Wame - belly
Wynd - a narrow lane or alley off a main thoroughfare, often following a sinuous or curving course
Wynd - a narrow lane or alley off a main thoroughfare, often following a sinuous or curving course
Y
Yeuk - itch
Yin - one
Yin - one
