Spuggies, skelfs and skives: 10 years in Scotland

Ten years ago today my sister and and I arrived in Edinburgh. My first week was spent whinging about the £1 = $2.60 exchange rate*, drooling over men in kilts on Princes Street (sadly not a regular occurrence; just rugby fans), grumbling about the snoring dude in the youth hostel, searching for work and accommodation, swooning at the sun setting over the Castle, and generally believing I could control the shape of my two-year stay through meticulous planning and to do lists. I’d hoped to write some profound reflections on this unexpectedly long Scotland stay but looking back through my 2003 mega Book of Lists I found the long-running one below, where I noted new-to-me words. There are so many things I love about this country, but the juicy words it’s added to my vocab may be the most golden prize of all. Try them on your friends today Disclaimer for the pedantic: These words may not all be of Scottish origin, I just first heard them whilst living here. All the definitions in quotes are courtesy of the Scottish Vernacular Dictionary. numpty – “a useless individual” bawbag - “a useless individual”.. Or a scrotum, obviously. Or an affectionate greeting in our household, “Awright bawbag!” dug – a dog dobber – “A tube, a bampot” which are also terms meaning ”a useless individual”… are you sensing a theme? pish – it’s a verb and noun for urine/ation but it’s most...
Source: The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl - Category: Other Conditions Authors: Tags: Globetrotting Living In Scotland Source Type: blogs