Scots Dictionary: The perfect wee guide to the Scots language

aliment In Scots Law, aliment is maintenance or support claimed by one person from another, especially money paid by one spouse to another when a couple is separated but not divorced.

Andrew, St

Andrew, St St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland. He was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, and the brother of Peter. His feast day is on November 30th.

ane In some parts of Scotland, ane means one: A guid New Year tae ane and a’!

anent (a-nent) Anent means about or considering: a few remarks anent the meeting.

Angus (ang-giss) Angus is a historic county in the northeast of Central Scotland, the southern boundary of which is the Firth of Tay and the eastern the North Sea. It is now the name of a council area occupying much the same area as the old county.

Arabs The supporters of Dundee United football team are nicknamed the Arabs. [The origin of the nickname is unclear, but it may have started as a jocular reference to the one-time sandy condition of the Tannadice pitch]

Arbroath The Declaration of Arbroath was a letter sent by the Scots nobles to the Pope in 1320, asserting Scottish independence.

Arbroath smokie An Arbroath smokie is a small haddock that has been cured by being salted and then smoked unsplit over a fire. [The name refers to Arbroath, a port in East Scotland in Angus, where this method of curing originated]

Argyll (ar-guile) Argyll is an area and historic county of Western Scotland, consisting of the parts of the mainland west of the Firth of Clyde as far north as Glencoe, and the islands off this area. Most of the historic county is now included in the Argyll and Bute council area.

Arranite An Arranite is a person from Arran, an island off the southwest coast of Scotland, in the Firth of Clyde.

arrestment In Scots Law, arrestment is the seizure of someone’s wages, bank account, social security payment, etc., until a debt due to the person or organization who started the legal action leading to the arrestment has been paid: The club appointed a liquidator after the chairman was served with an arrestment order.

as As is a word meaning than: mair as yin.

ashet (ash-it) An ashet is a large plate or shallow dish, usually oval in shape, used for cooking or serving food. [The word comes from the French assiette meaning plate]

ask for To ask for someone is to make enquiries about their well-being or health: Tell your Dad I was asking for him.

Atholl brose or Athole brose Atholl brose is a drink or a pudding made from whisky, honey, oatmeal, and water. Double cream is sometimes added. [The drink is named after an Earl of Atholl who, according to legend, incapacitated one of his enemies by spiking his well with whisky and honey]

at it To be at it means to be up to no good: There is a general belief that all politicians are at it and not to be trusted.

atween (a-tween) The word atween means between: a sausage in atween two dauds o’ breid.

aucht (awCHt) or echt (eCHt) Aucht is a Scots word meaning eight.

aucht-day An aucht-day person or thing is an ordinary or unremarkable one: a Northeastern term: jist an aucht-day kinna body. [The word comes from the earlier Scots way of referring to a week as aucht days (counting inclusively from Sunday to Sunday and so on)]

auld (rhymes with bald) Auld means old.

Auld Alliance The Auld Alliance refers to the historical links between Scotland and France. These links started in the 14th century when both nations were the subject of English ambition and endured until the Reformation ranged the two countries on different sides of the Protestant-Catholic divide. During this period France had a detectable influence on the development of Scottish institutions and law as well as customs and manners.

Auld Enemy

Auld Enemy In Scotland, the English are sometimes referred to as the Auld Enemy, especially now in a sporting context: The worst Scots nightmare, a gubbing by the Auld Enemy, was realized. [This phrase refers to the long history of conflict between the two countries]

Auld Reekie Auld Reekie is a nickname for Edinburgh. [The name means literally Old Smoky]

ava (a-vaw) Ava is a word meaning at all: It’s no for the common fowk ava.

avizandum (av-viz-zan-dum) Avizandum is the legal term for a judge’s or court’s private consideration of a case before giving judgment. A judge or court makes avizandum when time is needed to consider an argument or submission. [The word comes from the Medieval Latin avizāre to consider]

aw A variant of a’.

awa (a-waw) Awa means away.

away To be away to a place means to go there: I’m away to my work.Away! is used to indicate disbelief or surprise. Away wi ye! is used to indicate contempt for a person or dismissal of what they have said. Someone who is away wi it is very drunk. Away and … is used in many expressions of dismissal: Away and chase yourself!; Away and bile yer heid!

awfy (aw-fi) or awfu (aw-fa) Awfy means awful: Ah feel awfy.Awfy also means very: He’s awfy untidy.

aye or ay 1 (eye) Aye means yes: Aye, I’ll be there.2 (iy) Aye means always or constantly: He’s aye complaining.

ayeways (iy-ways) Ayeways means always: He’s ayeways got a few cans put by; Ye can ayeways try again later.

Ayrshire (air-sher or air-shire) Ayrshire is a historic county in Southwest Scotland, on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde. It is now administered by three council areas: North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and East Ayrshire.

B (#ulink_2c05074f-9787-504d-99a9-1d92b349ee3c)

ba or baw (baw) A ba is a ball.

babby A babby is a slightly old-fashioned word for a baby.

bachle (baCH-l) A variant of bauchle.

back court or back green The back court of a tenement building is the shared paved or grassy area behind it.

backie 1 In Dundee, Aberdeen, and elsewhere in the Northeast, a backie is the back court of a block of flats: All the young guys played football, on the backies and on the green.2 A backie is also one of the many local terms for a piggy-back, which is also known as a carry-code, a coalie backie, or a cuddyback in different parts of Scotland.

back of The back of an hour is the time just after it, up until about twenty past: I’ll meet you at the back of eight.

baffie (baf-fi) Baffies are slippers.

baggie or baggie minnie A baggie is a minnow, especially a large one.

bagpipes The bagpipes, often called the pipes for short, are a musical instrument consisting of a set of pipes through which air is blown from a bag held under the player’s arm. An individual instrument is known as a set of bagpipes. The type most commonly seen in Scotland, the Highland bagpipes, has one pipe with holes in it, known as a chanter, which is used to play the melody, and three pipes tuned to a fixed note, which are known as drones. The bag is filled by the player blowing into it. There also exists a smaller instrument, the Lowland bagpipes, which is sweeter toned and has the bag filled by a bellows which the player squeezes between his or her arm and side. The small Irish uillean pipes are also encountered, mainly among folk musicians.

ba’ hair

ba’ hair (baw hair) A ba’ hair is a rather indelicate term for a very small, almost imperceptible distance; a whisker: That just missed ma heid by a ba’ hair! [It literally means a male pubic hair]

bahookie (ba-hook-ee) A Glasgow variant of behouchie.

bailie or baillie (bay-li) Bailie is an honorary title given to senior local councillors in some areas. It now has no legal significance, although formerly bailies had some of the powers of a magistrate. [The word comes from the Old French baillif a bailiff]

bairn In much of Scotland, a baby or young child is known as a bairn. In West Central Scotland, the term wean is used instead: The wife’s expecting a bairn; The bairns came home from the school. A person from Falkirk is sometimes referred to as a Falkirk Bairn, and Falkirk football team is nicknamed the Bairns. [This use of the word is an allusion to Falkirk’s town motto, “Better meddle wi the deil than the bairns o Falkirk”]

baith (rhymes with faith) Baith means both.