A

Ae, ane, ain, one.

A-bizin, making a hissing noise, such as hot iron does in water.

Ables, perhaps, mayhap.

Amry, a cupboard or press.

Assoilzied, acquitted.

A-thort, along, across, about.

Auld Nick, a familiar name for the Devil.

Aught, possession.

B

Babee, a copper coin of the value of a halfpenny sterling, also applied to the English coin. The word is derived from the French bas-piece, base money; though many believed it had its original in the fact that during the minority of James VI. coins with the effigy of the ‘baby’ king were issued.

Badrons, a cat.

Baggity, greedy.

Baist, great.

Balk, bauk, crossbeam in roof of a house; hen-bauk, the beam where the fowls roosted, generally above the doorway.

Bane-kame, a dust-comb.

Banning, swearing.

Bannock, a thick oatmeal cake; sometimes a scone.

Bannock-stane, a stone used for supporting the girdle on the fire.

Bap, a kind of scone, baked with yeast, generally lozenge-shaped.

Barronry, barony.

Bear, barley.

Beek’d, warmed, heated by the sun.

Be-go, not an uncommon exclamation; probably a chewed oath.

Begunk, a cheat, a deception, properly a verb, but used as a noun at p. 61, vol ii.

Belling, bubbling up like soapy water.

Beltane, the 1st of May, when, in the olden times, fires were lighted in honour of the god Bel, or Baal. Many superstitious observances lingered in this country until a century ago; and in some districts they are still celebrated in a covert way. (Vide Shaw’s Hist. Prov. Moray.)

Belyve, by and bye, in a short time.

Besom, a brush or broom.

Bicker, a cup.

Bide, to stay, to endure.

Bilchy, strong, lusty.

Bill, a bull.

Bittock, a little bit, a short distance.

Birr, to make a whirring noise.

Bizing, v. a-bizing.

Bladdering, blethering, talking.

Blate, bashful.

Blawirt, the blue bottle plant, also known as witch-bells.

Bleds, blaids.

Bletchers, bleachers.

Blewflum, a sham.

Bobet, danced.

Bock, to vomit.

Boggle, a spectre or ghost.

Bone-comb, a dust-comb, so called from being made of bone instead of horn.

Boss, empty; also, a vacancy.

Bottle, a sheaf.

Bouk, bulk.

Bookie, bulky.

Boul-horn’d, obstinate.

Bow, a boll.

Bowed, bent.

Bow-kail, kail or broth made with cabbage; also, a cabbage.

Bowster, a bolster.

Brattle, to make a clattering noise.

Bray, to grind.

Brewket, or Brucket, black and white streaked or spotted.

Brizel’d, bruised.

Brochan, thin oatmeal porridge.

Brocket, v. Brewket.

Brogged, pierced.

Broe, soup.

Brogue, a trick.

Bublie-cock, a turkey.

Buckie, a spiral shell.

Bucking, pushing, butting, fighting.

Buckle, to marry.

Buckled, married.

Bun, bound.

Bute, behoved.

But and ben, the outer and inner apartments of a house.

Bystart, bastard.

C

Caddled, upturned, disordered.

Caff-cog, chaff-dish.

Callan, Callen, a boy, a young man.

Caller, fresh.

Can’as, canvas.

Cannilie, easily, gently.

Cankerd, cross, ill-natured.

Cantrips, charms, spells.

Cap, a wooden bowl.

Capstride, to cheat; originally, to drink out of one’s place in company when the loving-cup was going round.

Carle, an old man.

Carlin, carline, an old woman.

Cat and Dog, a boy’s game. It is also known as cat and bat. Jamieson suggests it was an early form of cricket. It is still common, and in the summer season boys may be seen playing at it in any village in Scotland.

Chafts, cheeks, jaws.

Chaft-blades, cheek or jaw bones.

Channering, fretting.

Chappen, a quart measure.

Cheek, side.

Cheek for chow, side by side.

Chiel, chield, a servant, a young man.

Chirten and chappen, pressing and knocking.

Chuckies, hens.

Claes, clothes.

Clarty, dirty.

Clash, idle talk, gossip.

Clatter, talk.

Clawing, scratching, rubbing.

Cleavings, the lower part of the human body.

Clipock, a name given to a sharp-tongued woman, descriptive of her failing.

Clout, a cloth; also, a knock.

Clukny, a hen.

Clungest, emptiest.

Clutes, hoofs, feet.

Cobletehow, probably hot-pressed in a fanciful way.

Cod, a pillow.

Cogbonie, cogboin, a little wooden trough for feeding sheep or swine.

Colly-shangy, uproar, disturbance.

Corse, a cross, market place.

Corse-claiths, burial clothes.

Couper, a seller of horses or cattle. (v. Introduction, vol. 1., p. 70.)

Coupt, tumbled.

Couties, colts.

Cow, to poll the head.

Cracks, talk, conversation.

Creim, a booth or shop.

Crish, grease.

Crocket, croaked.

Cronoch, a dirge, or death lamentation.

Crouse, courageous, brisk, lively.

Crowdie, gruel made of meal stirred in cold water.

Curpen, the crupper, the rump.

Curple, the crupper.

Culli’d, coaxed, cajoled.

Cumstrarie, perverse.

Cupple-balk, a rafter, v. balk.

Curch, to bend or move.

Curr’d, crouched.

Curroch, a small basket carriage.

Cusser, a stallion.

Cussen, cast.

Cutties, spoons.

D

Daddy, father.

Dadeling, slovenly.

Dadet, struck, knocked.

Daffing, sporting, fun.

Daft, silly, stupid, giddy.

Dale, a long piece or deal of wood.

Daly, silly, dressed up like a doll.

Dearth, high price.

Dighting, cleaning, wiping, dressing.

Ding, to knock.

Dinging, knocking.

Docus, stupid, easily led.

Dods, ill-humour, sulks.

Doil’d, crazy, silly, in dotage.

Doit, an old Scotch coin, equal to a penny Scots, or the twelfth part of an English penny; the word is used to signify worthlessness or extreme poverty.

Dorder-meat, a bannock given to farm servants after stopping their work, to stay their appetite until supper time; also a meal of any kind.

Douce, sedate, modest, quiet.

Douked, ducked, as in water.

Doup, the bottom of anything.

Dows, pigeons, doves.

Dradgey, a funeral, also the feasting accompanying it.

Dramack, Drummock, oatmeal and cold water mixed.

Drouket, drenched, wet to the skin.

Druggit, a kind of coarse cloth.

Drummel’d, made muddy, troubled.

Dubs, pools, gutters.

Duds, rags.

Duddy, ragged.

Dufe, a simpleton.

Duket, a dovecot.

Dunting and Dangling, knocking and swinging.

Dwallion, a dwelling.

E

Earding, burying.

Eerock, a chicken.

Elf-shot, shot by fairies, or the disease produced by the injury, bewitched.

Ell, a measure equal to three feet nine inches.

Elshin, a shoemaker’s awl.

Elwand, a wooden cloth measure, the length of an ell.

Even, to equal, or compare.

F

Fair strae death, a death in the common course of nature.

Fairing, a present given at a fair, a present generally.

Fake, a sight, vision.

Farl, an oatmeal cake.

Fash, trouble, bother.

Fashious, troublesome.

Fashing, troubling.

Fastern’s-e’en, the evening before the first day of Lent; Shrove-Tuesday. Its annual return was made the occasion of many superstitious observances.

Fealins, failings.

Fecket, an undershirt or waistcoat made of flannel or worsted.

Feckless, weak, poor-spirited.

Feif-titty, thief-sister.

Feike, screw, force.

Fey, try.

Fied, feed, engaged.

Figs, a petty oath.

Fint, feint, an interjection probably derived from the word ‘fiend.’

Flighter, an unsteady, high-flown person.

Fitting, scolding.

Fluke, a flounder, or flat fish of any kind.

Flyte, to scold.

Forfoughen, exhausted, fatigued.

Forjesket, jaded; also, disreputable.

Fornent, opposite, or concerning.

Freit, frit, a superstition; also, a charm against evil.

Fule haet, very little.

Fundred, foundered.

Furich, bustle, haste, hurry.

Furlat, furlet, four pecks, a quarter of a boll.

Futer, a silly, useless person.

Fyking, troublesome, restless.

G

Gabbie, dimin. of Gab, the mouth.

Gaits, goats.

Gamon, nonsense.

Gate, way, road.

Gaun-gear, live stock.

Gaunting, yawning.

Gartan, a garter.

Gavel, gable.

Gear, stock, possessions.

Geid, gave.

Gemlet, gimlet.

Gigglet, wanton.

Gilly-gawkie, gilliegaukie, a foolish woman.

Gimmer, a young woman.

Girning, fretful, petted.

Girth, saddle strap.

Glaied, gly’d, squint-eyed.

Glam, to snatch.

Glaket, foolish, light-headed.

Goodman, the master of a house.

Goodum, guddame, grandmother.

Goodwife, the mistress of a house.

Gouls, souls.

Gourd, gorged, swelled.

Gowke, the cuckoo; to hunt the gowke is to go on a foolish and fruitless errand.

Groats, oats with the husks taken off.

Grunkie, a name applied to a pig.

Gruzling, grunting and boring for food as a sow does with its snout.

Guidame, v. Goodum.

Gule-fitted, yellow-footed.

Gut, the gout.

Gutcher, a grandfather; generally, forefathers.

Gullie, a large knife.

H

Haf-gate, half-way.

Hag, an old woman.

Hagwife, a midwife.

Hail yerts, whole years.

Haining, saving, sparing.

Hallen, the square space in the doorway of a country house.

Hally-band, the kirk session.

Hamsheughs, a disturbance; also, a misfortune.

Hantle, a considerable number.

Harle, a quantity; also, to draw or pull violently.

Harn, coarse pack-sheet.

Harnes, brains.

Hate, haet, a small quantity.

Hatter, a rash.

Haverel, a foolish talker.

Heads and thraws, lying alternately, heads and feet, like herring in a barrel.

Heckle, a hook, a weaver’s comb.

Herie, a word used by married people towards each other, equivalent to ‘my dear.’

Herns, v. harns.

Heugh, the shaft-head of a coal-pit.

Hillocat, hillocket, giddy, hair-brained.

Hinderlets, hind parts.

Hirpling, halting, walking slowly and painfully.

Hizzy, a girl, a huzzy.

Hobble, to dandle on the knee, an awkward style of walking, a state of perplexity.

Hodden-grey, undyed woollen cloth.

Hoddled, waddled.

Hoiting, following, running.

Hotchen, swarming.

Houdie, howdy, a midwife.

Houghed, hamstrung.

Hows, hollows.

Huggers, stocking legs.

Humeld, without horns.

Hurdies, buttocks.

Hurl, noise, force.

I

Ill-far’d, ill-looking, ugly.

Imock-powder, powder made of the shells of ants’ eggs.

J

Jamf, jamph, to make sport of, to torment.

Jimcrack, a knock.

K

Kail, vegetable broth.

Kankert, ill-natured.

Keb, jump at, be glad of.

Kebbock, a large cheese.

Keckle, to cackle.

Keek, to look slyly, or pryingly.

Kill-kebber, a support for a kiln.

Kil-logie, an open space before a kiln fire.

Kimmer, a gossip, or neighbour.

Kite, the stomach.

Kittle, to tickle; also, difficult.

Knocking-stane, a stone mortar, on which the hulls were broken off the barley with a mallet.

Knoist, a lump.

Kuddle, to fondle, caress.

Kye, cows.

L

Laddock, diminutive of lad.

Lade, a load.

Lammas, the 1st of August.

Lang-gae, the phrase, ‘before lang gae,’ signifies simply, before long.

Lang-lonen, all alone.

Laveruck, a lark.

Leepet, thin, meagre.

Lenno, thread-gauze.

Leuch, laughed.

Libby, properly lippie, a quarter of a peck.

Libbet, castrated.

Lift, the sky.

Lingle, a shoemaker’s thread; also, a bandage.

Lingle-tailed, applied to a woman wearing misfitting clothes.

Lint, flax.

Litster, a dyer.

Litted, dyed.

Logie, v. kil-logie.

Loup, to jump.

Louting, bending.

Lufe, the palm of the hand.

Lugs, the ears.

Lum, a chimney.

M

Maeslie-shanket, probably a reference to bowed legs.

Maggs, a halfpenny; also a gratuity.

Masket, infused.

Mauk, a maggot.

Mauky, maggoty.

Mauken, a hare.

Maumier, mellower, sweeter, pleasanter.

Mavis, the thrush.

Mawing, mewing.

Maw-turned, sick, squeamish.

Mense, discretion, good manners.

Mensefu’, discreet, well-bred.

Merk, an old Scottish silver coin, equal to thirteenpence and one-third of a penny, sterling.

Mevis, v. Mavis.

Mill, a snuff-box.

Mim, prim, demure, prudish.

Minny, mother.

Mirk, dark.

Mow, a heap.

Mules, the ‘mools,’ the grave.

N

Neb, a beak; in a ludicrous sense, the nose.

Neist, next, nearest.

Neuk, nuik, a corner.

Nidity nod, shaking, bobbing up and down.

Nossack, a good drop.

O

O’ercome, overplus.

Ouk, oulk, uk, a week.

Oxter, the armpit.

P

Packshon, bargain, agreement.

Padock, puddock, a frog.

Paid, pait, drubbed.

Partan, a crab.

Peck, a dry measure containing two gallons.

Pickle, a small quantity.

Pig, pigg, an earthenware vessel.

Pillonian, a kind of coarse blue cloth.

Pinging, whining, complaining.

Piping het, boiling hot.

Pirn, a reel for winding thread or yarn.

Pisweip, a lapwing.

Plack, a small copper coin, worth one-third of a penny, sterling.

Plash, to wet; ‘wet to plash,’ thoroughly drenched.

Plotted, scalded.

Podle, a tadpole.

Port, a gate, as of a town.

Pow, the head.

Pownie, a name given to a turkey-hen. See note to p. 52, vol. ii.

Prat, a trick.

Prik’t, fastened, pinned.

Prin, a pin.

Prute-no, an expression of contempt.

Puddock, v. padock.

Pund, a pound Scots, equivalent to one shilling and eightpence, sterling.

Purpey, purple.

Pyet, piebald.

Pyking, poking.

Q

Quean, a young woman; sometimes used in a bad sense.

R

Raird, a noise, a roar.

Raisins, necessities.

Rake (of water, or coals), as much as can be carried at one time.

Rash-rape, a rope made of rushes.

Rattle-scul, one who talks without thinking.

Ratton, a rat.

Red, redd, to put in order.

Red-wood, mad, in a violent rage.

Reeking, well ordered.

Reinge, to clear out, to rinse.

Retour, return, as the return journey of a coach.

Rift, an eructation.

Rifting, belching.

Rigget, striped.

Rigging, the roof of a house, the human head in a ludicrous sense.

Ripples, a weakness in the back and reins.

Rippling-kame, a flax-comb.

Rive, to tear.

Rolloching, outspoken.

Rout, to bellow; also, a blow.

Rowt, assembled.

Royte, a noisy animal.

Ruddoch, a contemptuous name for an old woman.

Rugh, rough.

Runkly, wrinkly.

Runt, the stalk of a vegetable, such as a cabbage.

S

Saep, soap.

Sandle, the sand-ell or sand-lance.

Sannock Garner, probably a familiar name for the devil.

Saugh, the willow.

Scart, to scratch or scrape.

Scorn, to torment, to rally.

Scour, to clean out.

Scour’d, ran quickly.

Scride, to scrape, as the bow on the strings of the violin.

Sculdudery, immorality.

Sculls, wicker baskets, such as are used by fishers.

Scunnert, disgusted.

Scythed, shot quickly.

Sea-cat, the sea-wolf or wolf-fish.

Sea-dog, the seal.

Servet, a table-napkin.

Shap, a cod, as a pea-cod.

Sheavling, distorting.

Shern, cattle ordure.

Shevelin, walking unsteadily.

Shough, slough, moss.

Shule, shovel.

Shure, sure.

Sickerly, firmly, surely.

Sikes, the phrase, ‘flay the sikes,’ means to give a good beating.

Sinsyne, since.

Skail’d, dispersed.

Skaith, harm.

Skein, a length of worsted or thread.

Skellat, a small bell used by town criers.

Skelped, struck.

Skirl’d, cried, screamed.

Slag, a small quantity.

Slung, a sling, a throw.

Snishing, snuff.

Snoaking, prying, smelling about like a dog.

Soncy, plump, well-conditioned.

Soughing, a rushing sound.

Souse, sosse, the fall of a soft body, to throw one’s self into a seat.

Soup, a mouthful, a spoonful.

Sowens, flummery, made of the dust oatmeal remaining among the seeds, steeped and soured.

Spanged, leaped, jumped.

Spaul, limb.

Speir’d, asked.

Spence, a larder, the parlour of a country house.

Spence, to, used to denote ‘the bedding.’

Spout, drink.

Spout-fish, the razor-fish.

Sprittled, speckled.

Spruch, spruce, smart.

Spue, to vomit.

Spunkie, Will-o’-the-Wisp.

Squattle, to drink greedily.

Stark, strong.

Stay, stey, steep, difficult.

Steighling, crowding, cramming.

Sticket, stopped; as, ‘a sticket minister,’ a man who has failed or been stopped in his studies for the ministry.

Stirk, a young bull.

Stirra, a stout, romping boy.

Stively, stoutly, firmly.

Stock, a stalk.

Stot, to stagger.

Stoup, a deep and narrow wooden vessel for holding water.

Sugh, to breathe heavily.

Sumf, sumph, a stupid, silly fellow; a blockhead.

Sunks, a saddle.

Supple, the part of a flail that strikes the grain.

Sutter, sutor, a shoemaker.

Swabing, a beating.

Swats, small beer.

Sweith, an interjection signifying ‘be quick, make haste.’

Syne, after that, then.

T

Tadder, a tether, a hawser.

Taupie, tawpie, a foolish woman.

Tent, care.

Theckit, thatched.

Thole, to bear.

Thraple, throat.

Tirlie-whirlie, any ornament, a whirligig.

Tirr’d, unroofed.

Tocher, a dowry.

Tod-lowrie, a name given to the fox.

Toom, empty.

Tost, an application.

Totum, a very small person.

Touting, blowing, sounding.

Toy, a linen or woollen head-dress, which hangs down over the shoulders.

Trykle, treacle.

Tug, a hawser.

Tullie, a quarrel.

Tut, an expression of contempt, equivalent to ‘pshaw’.

Tyke, a dog.

U

Uk, uke, v. ouk.

Unco, strange, unusual, very.

Unfiery, unsteady, infirm.

V

Veals, calves.

W

Wale, to choose.

Wallop, to leap; also, to beat.

Wally, large, fine, ample.

Wame, the belly, the stomach.

Wammel, to move awkwardly.

Water-wag-tail, the bird called the wag-tail, or motacilla.

Waught, a drink.

Wauker, a fuller.

Webster, wabster, a weaver.

Whaken, large, overflowing.

Whalpie, a puppy.

Whalp, to whelp.

Wheen, whin, a number.

Whiltie-whaltie, a state of palpitation; to play pit-a-pat.

Whinge, to whine, lament.

Whit, a jag or prick.

Widdling, waddling.

Widdyfu’, one who deserves to fill a widdy or halter, a romp.

Wierd, fate.

Winnle, an instrument used by women for winding yarn.

Win, dwell, reside.

Wirry, to strangle, to worry.

Wood, wud, furious with rage, mad.

Wyfe, to whiff.

Wyles, caution.

Wylie, a kind of flannel used for vests and petticoats.

Wyte, blame.

Y

Yeal, old, barren.

Yearning-bag, a bag containing the stomach of a calf, used for making milk curdle.

Yeltow, a chewed oath.

Yence, once.

Yerdet, buried.

Yird, the earth, the grave.

Youdeth, youth.

Youket, coupled, married.

Yule, latterly Christmas, but formerly the name given to an annual feast in honour of Odin.

Yule, youl, to howl like a dog.