scots words

I know that Brad is a keen student of UK slang, and has enlisted the help of his readers to unpick some of the words he’s come across. (UK Readers, Please Help Me Understand and UK Slang, Round 2 ) Like any other language there are lots of regional variations in the way people speak in the UK. Although I find pure Scots hard to understand a lot of the words (and slang) have crept into my own language after nearly 20 years living in Scotland.

Every so often these feature in a blog post or something I share on Twitter – which leads to some interesting questions and conversations, often led by Brad. When he asked me about my most recent puzzling word (birling) it occurred to me that it might be fun (and maybe even useful) to share some of the words that bloggers and tweeters from Scotland might be likely to use.

Here’s 20 favourites of mine, set within a social media context.

Posted something on your Facebook page that might lead to future embarassment? You might have a beamer or a riddie

(A red, beaming face)

Read too many tweets too fast, or follow a fast moving stream and your head can start to spin. You feel as if you’re birling

(Movement that causes disorientation, often after ceilidh dancing)

Wish someone would tweet a bit less? You might want to say wheesht … and temporarily unfollow

(Quiet!)

If you’ve had enough of them and are ready to quit for good then haud your wheesht would make a great tweet.

(Will you be quiet!)

Good news you want to share with your friends online? Try telling them you’re chuffed and see what happens

(Happy, pleased with the outcome)

Some blogs and tweets are full of negativity. Their authors like to girn.

(Grumble or moan)

Follow some enchanting folk who tweet at 100 miles an hour? They’re blethers personified.

(Blether, to chat or talk a lot, also the noun for the person who blethers)

Spend too long in front of the computer screen and someone might describe your pale complexion as peely wally

(Pale, insipid)

If your feedburner numbers are decimated or your stats have collapsed you might say you were scunnered

(Extremely disappointed or fed up)

All tangled up in html and can’t work out how to fix it? You’re probably in a right fankle. Or maybe a guddle

(Muddle)

If you arrive on Twitter after a really bad day when everything’s gone wrong you might sound a bit a crabbit

(Grumpy, bad tempered)

When new to a social media platform… trying out tweets or practicing plurks you might feel like you haven’t a scoobie.

(Rhyming slang: Scoobie Doo – clue)

Non-technical advice to fix a computer or phone might include giving it a shoogle

(Shake)

When everyone’s talking about a hot issue like the Motrin moms debate you might call it a stramash

(Commotion)

If someone’s spouting a whole lot of nonsense on their blog, they’re havering.

(Talk rubbish)

When someone asks you about a plugin you’ve installed and you know it’s kind of tricky, you might warn them it’s footery

(Fiddly)

Weather reports from tweeters in Scotland often refer to dreich days

(Grey, wet, drizzly, damp. Maybe with a smirr of rain)

If, (like me) you try and retain some kind of control over what you’re posting online you’re being canny. You might encourage others to do the same by telling them to ca’ canny.

Are there any other words you’ve heard me (and others) use that you’d like explained? Those of you from Scotland… what words would you add to this list?

What would a social media guide in your own local dialect look like?

If any of you are looking for more Scots words here are a couple of guides:

Scots Tongue

Glossary of Scottish Terms

Picture Credit – scots words by Ianan on Flickr
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joanna youngJoanna Young is a freelance writer and writing coach. Her blog, Confident Writing, is one of the best and most popular writing blogs around. She describes her blog as “a site not just for writers but for anyone who wants or needs to write with confidence.” Joanna also writes at Powerful Web Content, Absorbing Writing, Joyful Jubilant Learning, and many other places – including, from time to time, Word Sell. Thanks, Joanna!

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