Bahookie - buttocks or backside
Bahookie
Noun: buttocks or backside
If there’s a more musical way to describe the rear end, we’ve yet to find it.
In a sentence: “The wee yin fell right on his bahookie.”
In English: “The little one fell on his bum.”
Blate - shy; bashful
Blate
Adjective: Shy; bashful
If you find yourself a bit sheepish in the company of a Shetlander, you might just hear this wee Scots gem.
In a sentence: “Dunna be blate; glaep yun down!”
In English: “Don’t be shy; eat up!”
Braw - excellent; pleasant
Braw
Adjective: Excellent; pleasant
From cuddly Highland coos to soaring, cloud-kissed summits, Scotland has no shortage of braw sights.
In a sentence: “It’s a braw day for a dauner.”
In English: “It’s a lovely day for a walk.”
Coorie - to snuggle or cuddle
Coorie
Verb: To snuggle or cuddle
Think warm woollen blankets, roaring fires, and steaming cups of tea – or something a little stronger!
In a sentence: “It’s awfy dreich; it’s a day fur coorieing in under the covers.”
In English: “The weather is awfully dreary; this is a day for snuggling under the covers.”
Dook - to dip in liquid; especially in water
Dook
Verb: To dip in liquid; especially in water
Fancy trying your hand at a dook? If you’re brave enough, you can take part in the aptly-named Loony Dook!
In a sentence: “Dook yer haun in the watter an see if it’s cauld.”
In English: “Dunk your hand in the water and see if it’s cold.”
Dreich - dreary; dull; gloomy
Dreich
Adjective: Dreary; dull; gloomy
Take from this what you will, but ‘dreich’ has been voted the “most iconic” Scots word several times.
In a sentence: “It’s awfy dreich oot there the day.”
In English: “It’s awfully dreary outside today.”
Fankle - to entangle; a tangle; or confusion
Fankle
Verb: To entangle; a tangle; or confusion
Whether describing shoelaces or situations, fankle is a fantastically versatile bit of language.
In a sentence: “Ma heidphones are aww fankled.”
In English: “My headphones are all tangled.”
Gallus - cheeky; mischievous; bold
Gallus
Adjective: Cheeky; mischievous; bold
This is Glasgow summarised in six letters.
In a sentence: “He’s pure galllus, that yin.”
In English: “He’s very cheeky, that one.”
Glaikit - stupid; foolish; thoughtless
Glaikit
Adjective: Stupid; foolish; thoughtless
As well as some beautiful phrases, Scots is a language filled with unusual insults.
In a sentence: “Dinnae be so glaikit – dae something!”
In English: “Don’t be so thoughtless – do something!”
Haver - to talk foolishly; to babble
Haver
Verb: To talk foolishly; to babble
The popularity of this word owes a debt to the dulcet tones of a pair of bespectacled twins from Fife.
In a sentence: “Awa – yer havering!”
In English: “Get away – you’re talking nonsense!”
Keek - a hasty look; a stolen glance
Keek
Verb; noun: A hasty look; a stolen glance
Try to avoid ‘keeking’ during your travels in Scotland – the views deserve a longer look!
In a sentence: “Goan take a keek oot the windae.”
In English: “Go and have a quick look out of the window.”
Loon - boy; young man
Loon
Noun: Boy; young man
In Aberdeenshire, there are no ‘boys’ and ‘girls;’ there are ‘loons’ and ‘quines.’
In a sentence: “Far hiv ye been, loon?”
In English: “Where have you been, boy?”
Oxter - an armpit
Oxter
Noun: An armpit
In Scotland, you’re not busy; you’re ‘up to your oxters in it.’
In a sentence: “Him there, wae the jaikit tucked in his oxter.”
In English: “That man over there with the jacket tucked in his armpit.”
Piece - a sandwich
Piece
Noun: A Sandwich
Whatever the filling, whatever the bread, in Scots it’s known as a piece.
In a sentence: “Canny believe that – av forgoat ma piece.”
In English: “I can’t believe it – I’ve forgotten my sandwich.”
Peelie-wally - pale; off-colour; sickly-looking
Peelie-Wally
Adjective: Pale; off-colour; sickly-looking
Only in Scotland can looking unwell sound so whimsical!
In a sentence: “She’s looking awfy peelie-wally.”
In English: “She’s looking awfully pale.”
Shoogle - to shake; to wobble
Shoogle
Verb: To shake; to wobble
Scots is a wonderfully illustrative language – you can practically see the word ‘shoogle’ wobbling as you read it.
In a sentence: “Jist gie it a wee shoogle and it’ll come loose.”
In English: “Just give it a small shake and it’ll come loose.”
Sleekit - sly; cunning
Sleekit
Adjective: Sly; cunning
Sleekit is one of the best-known Scots words, thanks to our National Bard Robert Burns using it to describe a field mouse.
In a sentence: “Wee, sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous beastie.”
In English: “Small, sly, cowering, fearful animal.”
Weesht - to call for silence or to be quiet
Weesht
Verb: To call for silence or to be quiet
A fitting end to our whistle-stop tour of Scots – silence!
In a sentence: “Wheesht!”
In English: “Be quiet!”
