A Scottish Glossary
a' - all
a' the go -- extremely popular
aboot - about
abune - above
ae - one, any
aff - off
aft - often
aiblins - perhaps
aik - oak
ain, ane - own
alane - along
amang - among
an - and
ance - once
anither - another
arenae - are not
athwart - across
auld lang syne - old memories; days gone by
aw - all
awa' - away
bags - bagpipes
bairnie - little child
bairns - children
baith - both
balloch - mountain pass
banes - bones
bardy - scolding
benmaist - furthest
biddin - stayed
bide - stay
birks - birches
birlin' - spinning
blaw - blow
bleeze - blaze
bletherskate - silly talker; one who talks too much
blin' oors - hours of darkness
blinterin - glimmering
bluid - blood
blythely - gaily
boatie - small boat
bogie - boogie man
bonnie - beautiful/handsome
boo - bow
boortree - elder tree
brade - broad
brae - hill
braisant - brazen faced
brak - break
brattlin - rushing noisily
braw - fine
breeks - trousers
brock - badger
burn, burnie - stream
ca', ca'd - call, called
ca' thro' - work on
cairt - cart
cam - came
cannae (canna) - cannot
canny - carefully
canny gaun - easy going
canty - contented
carls - fellows
cauld - cold
caw - drive
chafts (burst their chafts) - came unstuck
chanter - bagpipe chanter
chevalier - Bonnie Prince Charlie
claed - clothed
claymore - large sword
cloods - clouds
coordly - cowardly
coorted - courted
cran - Scots measure of herring (37 1/2 gallons)
craw - crow, boast
crawin' - crowing
crouse - arrogant
cuist - cast
cuttle - hare
cutty stool - wooden chair in which one had to sit in full view of the congregation if one was caught sinning.
dae - do
daft - mad
dane - done
dauntonly - bravely
daur - dare
daurknin' - darkening/twilight
daurnae - dare not
den - valley
dochter - daughter
doesnae - does not
doon - down
doonfa' - downfall/setting
dows - dares
dreepin' - dripping
drone - bagpipe drone
drow - wet mist
drumlie - crowded
dumfoundered - dumfounded
e'e - eye
'ee lang - live long
emerant - green, lush
erts - arts
fa' - fall
fairmers - farmers
faither - father
faulding - putting sheep in fold
faut - fault
fears me - frightens me
fell - cruel
fellah - fellow
fermer - farmer
fidgin' fain - extremely impatient
fit - foot
fleckit - dappled, flecked
fleet - fast, quick
flegs - frights
fleits - floats
flooer - flower
flyte - scolding
'fore - before
foreland - shore
forenicht - evening
fower - four
frae - from
fu' - full
fur - for
fyled - soiled, fouled
gae, gaed - go, went
gaithered - gathered
gaitherins - remnants
gang - go, gone
gangrel - vagabond
gart - made
gaun - going
gear - wealth
ghaist - ghost
gie - give
gin - if
glen - valley
Glesca - Glasgow
goon - gown
gorlin - fledgling
gowans - daisies
gowden - golden
gowl - cheer
grat - wept
grey - cloth
groat - four old pence piece
guid - good
gurly - roaring
ha' - hall
hacks - blow with a sharp instrument
hae - have
hale - whole
hallan - cottage
hame - home
haugh - (river) bank
haun - hand
haw - have
heids - heads
hielan' - highland
hing, hingin - hang, hanging
hinmaist - very last
hinnae - have not
hoddin - cheap
hoolits - owls
howe - low land
hud - had
hurls - rides
ilka - every
intae - into
isnae - is not
jinkin' - dancing
jog on yer gate - be on your way
jouks - swerve
keek o' day - dawn
kelterin' - undulating
ken - know
kent - knew, known
kimmers - young women
kirk - church
kittle - restless
knowes - small hills, knolls
laddie - boy, young man
laggin - crest of a hill
landbirst - breaking waves
lanely - lonely
lang - long
lassie - girl
lave - the rest
lavrocks - larks
leigh - low
lichtnin's - lightning
lie my lane - lie alone
lift - sky
licht, lichtly - light, lightly
linn - waterfall
lippen - anticipate
loanin - lane
loch - lake
loo'd - loved
loom o' morn - first signs of day
loup, loupit - leap, leaped
ma - my
'mang - among
maun - may
maunt - was able
mavis - lark
mickle a do - much to do
'midst - amidst
mirk - dark
mither - mother
monies - many
naethin' - nothing
nae - no
nane - none
naw - no
ne'er - never
nicht - night
no' - not
nocht - nothing
noo - now
o' - of
'oor - hour
oot - out
ootby - outlying, distant
ower - over
paidled
philabeg - kilt
pillar - pillar used for the same purpose as the cutty stool
pint stowp - a measure of drink
plaiden - tarten
plait - pleased
plooboy - ploughboy
plooman - ploughman
pooch - pocket
pu' - pull
puir - poor
pyock - satchel
quo - said
rade - rode
rae - roe deer
rede - red
richt - right
ricklin' - filtering
rin - run
roarin' fu' - extremely drunk
roon - round
sab - sob
sae - so
saft - soft
sang - song
sark - shirt
saughs - willows
scaur - steep, eroded hill
sel' - self
shaw - grove, shear, coppice
sheilin - cottage
sic' - such
sillar, siller - silver
simmers - one summers
skerry - rocky island or reef
slees - slinks
sma' - small
smoors - smothers
snaw - snow
snaw bree - melting snow
sodger - soldier
soughs - sighs
speir, speired - ask, asked
stapt, stapit - filled to bursting
staun - stand
staurn - star
steek - stitch
steirs - stirs
stent - stretch
stour (bide the stour) - bear the struggle
stown - stolen
strakes - strokes
straught - straight
tae - to
taen - taken
tak - take
taps - tops
thegither - together
thocht - thought
thrawn - obstinate(ly)
timmer - timber
tint - lost
to drink the breest you've brewed - to be responsible for the consequences of your own actions
tocher - dowry
toon - town
tourocks - smoke from chimneys
tousled - tangled
tron - town market place
trysted - promised
twin - plait
unco whacks (sic' unco whacks) - such blows as these
warlock - wizard, male witch
warp, warpin - weave, weaving
warst - worst
waukin' - awake
waukrife - sleepless
waur - worse
wee - small
weel - well
weel faured - well favoured
werenae - were not
westlin - westward
wha(s) - who (whose)
whar, whaur - where
whippert - hastily
wi' - with
widnae - would not
wie - with
wiltnae, winnae - will not
wis - was
wit - what
wullie waught - a hearty draught
wynd - wind
ye - you
yer - your
yestreen - yesterday
yin - one
yon - yonder, that
your lane - alone
yowes - ewes
The Discograpy
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