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Written by: Andrew

Blether? Glaikit? Eejit? … Our Scottish Dialect Meanings

News Category: Buying Tips
Article added by: Andrew on 24 April 2008

View our full range of Scots Dialect gifts here

We’ve some fantastic ‘dialect’ products now on our website … have a look at our T-Shirts, Mugs and Tablewear… but what do they mean??? Here’s the answers:

NUMPTY

(num-p-tee) Dialect, chiefly Scot ~n. 1. a bumbling fool; one who is intellectually challenged (“no’ the fu’shillin’”) 2. Widely known in Scotland as an MSP (Member of Scottish Parliament) [as in “These numpties couldnae organise a piss up in a brewery.”]

BLETHER

(ble-thir) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~n. 1. person who catters incessantly; one who babbles on and on (” That wee yin o’ yours is an awfy blether getting’”). ~v. 2. to engage in conversation, long-winded or idle talk ( as in ” Ah met yer granny doon the toun, we hud a richt guid blether the gither”) [ see also sweetie-wife ]

CRABBIT

(cra-bit) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~adj. 1. ill-tempered, grumpy, curt, disagreeable; in a bad mood [esp. in the morning]. ( often used in ” ken this, yer a crabbit get, so you are”) ~n. by their nature or temperament conveys an aura of irritability.

EEJIT

(ee-jit) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~n. 1. idiot, simpleton, one not possessed of all their mental faculties; one who is unable to properly conduct their own affairs ( as in ” Yer aff yer heid, ya eejit. That’s no’ a real dug” ). [ See also bawheid, dunderhead]

FOUTER

(foo-tir) Dialect, chiefly Scot, ~n. 1.one who muddles through; aimless, exasperating person (“Yer a fouter, gie it tae me, ah’ll dae it”). 2. a fiddly or troublesome job (” This is a right fouter, this”). ~adv. foutering ( “Yer foutering aboot. Stope it!”) [Similar to gitter]

GLAIKIT

(’glai-kit) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~adj. 1. (intr.) stupid: senseless, silly. ( often in“he stood there wi’ a glaikit look oan his fizzog”) 2. (tr.) giddy, thoughtless. 3. affected 4. petty.

SKIVER

(sky-ver) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~ n. 1. one who avoids tasks or work in general; a shirker. [also sloper]. ~ v. skive (”Ah cannae be arsed wi’ this - ah’m away fur a skive”) 2. splinter of wood embedded in the skin (also skelf)

BESOM

(biz-um) bisom Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~n. 1. obstreperous girl or woman; female upstart [as in “Dinnae pou’ yer brither’s hair, ya wee besom”]. 2. woman of low moral standing; a hussy ( “Thon yin’s a right mucky besom”). 3. broomstick or scourge; any broom made from loose twigs. 4. a comet or its tail.

CANNY

(can-y) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~adj. 1. cautious, careful, hesitant; unwilling to rush into things. 2. frugal, prudent (esp. with money) [a canny scot- one who has an aversion to separating money from his pocket] ( as in ” He’s that canny he aye pays for his round wi’ empty lemonade bottles”).

GALLUS

(ga-luss) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~adj. 1, self-confident, daring; cheeky. 2. stylish, impressive (” See him, he’s pure gallus, by the way”) 3. Orig. derogatory, meaning wild; a rascal; deserving to be hanged ( from the gallows).

SCUNNER

(’scun-ner) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~vb. 1.(intr.) to feel aversion. 2. (tr.) to produce a feeling of aversion in. ~n 3. a strong feeling of aversion ( often in take a scunner, or ” git oot o’ ma face ya wee scunner” ) 4. an object of dislike; nuisance, [c] 4: from Scot. skunner, from ?]

STEAMIN’

(stee-min) Slang, chiefly Scot. ~adj. drunk, inebriated, the state of having consumed too much bevy. ( see also “guttered,fu’, pissed, gassed, blootered, stoned, miraculous, legless, smashed, minced, wrecked, mingin’, welly’d, mortal, arsed, blitzed, blazin’, hingin’, buckled)

FITBA’

(fit-baw) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~n. 1. (m) the beautiful game 2. (f) stupid game involving 22 grown men (and 3 officials of dubious parentage and eyesight) kicking a lump of leather around a field, often sparking irrational behaviour, bad language and blind devotion to a team or player, to the detriment of normal marital relations. ( see fitba’ widow)

SASSENACH

(sass-y-nak) sic. Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~n. 1. an Englishman or -woman 2. used by highlanders to describe non-Gaelic-speaking Lowlander [from the Gaelic sasunnach, meaning Saxon ] 3. someone who actually understands the rules of cricket and mentions 1966 every bloody chance they get (see Jimmy Hill).

TEUCHTER

(choo-chter) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~n. 1. (trad.) one who derives from the Highlands of Scotland ( a Hielander); more commonly used by city folk to describe rural dwellers. 2. Gaelic-speaker (mostly to each other) esp. at strange gatherings known as Mods. [definitely not Rockers]. Occassionally partakes of a wee dram. ( also heuchter teuchter).

BRAW

(br-aww) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~adj. 1. fine, pleasant esp. weather. (”It’s a braw day the day” or “It’s a braw, bricht, moonlicht night the nicht.”) 2. attractive, pretty, often in “You’re really braw, hen. Fancy a Ruby Murray?”

GALOOT

(gah-loot) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~n. 1. (trad.) bumbling fool; slow witted person (as in “Och that’s no a tour guide. It’s a naked rambler, ya daft goloot!”). 2. awkward, clumsy or gangly.

WABBIT

(wah-bit) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~adj. 1. exhausted, out of breath; unable to function due to extreme tiredness (as in “Playin’ wi’ thae weans has gote me wabbit”) [similar to puggled]

View our full range of Scots Dialect gifts here

Why not add your own? :

Written by: Pauline

Buyer’s Guide : Belts and Buckles

News Category: Buying Tips, Buyers Guides
Article added by: Pauline on 13 July 2007

Alexander Scott founded Alex Scott in Aberdeen on 6th August 1925. Since then our shop has been proudly sourcing and producing Highland wear and all things Scottish. Proving our commitment to great customer service I’m passing on some of our extensive product knowledge in our new series of guides. Here is the fifth of my Buyer’s Guides:

Buyer’s Guide - Kilt Belts & Buckles

Kilt Belts

Belt and Buckles Buyers Guide

Kilt belts, also known as Montrose belts are specifically designed to decorate the top of the kilt in the absence of a waistcoat. The buckles are sold separately from the belts so that you can choose any buckle to match any belt.

Sizing

The kilt belts are sold in different waist sizes, each of which has a good amount of +/- adjustment. It is important that when you choose the belt you like, you also select the correct size. This sounds straightforward but there are pitfalls.

The one thing most people do when selecting a belt size is simply select the waist size that their trousers are. This however will undoubtedly result in the belt being too tight. There are two reasons for this. First of all the natural waist where the kilt is worn is usually slightly bigger than the lower waist where fashion trousers are worn. Secondly the kilt is a very thick quality garment and this adds two inches round the natural waist.

To choose the correct size of belt, we suggest you select the size 2-3 inches larger than your kilt waist size. (e.g. 32 waist = 34 belt, 29 waist = 32 belt.) If you do not know the waist size of your kilt, simply measure round your stomach and add 2-3 inches to that measurement.

New guides are added regularly. All our buyers guides are available in our Buyer’s Guide section. We strongly encourage your comments and feedback: