Geographical & Cultural English - Scottish English

Here you will find slang from Scottish English, featuring regional expressions, accents, and cultural terms unique to Scotland.

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bairn

[noun]

(Scottish) a child, either a son or daughter

Ex: They 've had another bairn, a wee lass this time .

wee

[Adjective]

(Scottish) very small in size

Ex: The library had a wee section dedicated to rare and miniature books .

message

[noun]

(Scottish; plural only) shopping, groceries, or errands

Ex: I forgot half the messages I was meant to bring back .

numpty

[noun]

(Scottish) a foolish or silly person

Ex: They're acting like complete numpties after a few drinks.

gallus

[Adjective]

(Scottish) bold, cheeky, or confident in a showy, sometimes reckless way

Ex: The bairn came out with a gallus answer that made everyone laugh.

dreich

[noun]

(Scottish) dreary, dull, or miserable weather

Ex: The town felt empty under the dreich.

to ken

[Verb]

(Scottish) to know, be aware of, or understand

Ex: I never kened it would end up like this.

bammy

[Adjective]

(Scottish) crazy; acting wildly or unpredictably

Ex: The weather's been bammy all week.

bowfing

[Adjective]

(Scottish) stinking, disgusting, or foul

Ex: She complained about the bowfing water in the tap.

buroo

[noun]

(Scottish) unemployment office or the benefits received from it

Ex: Life on the buroo wasn't easy.

commotion lotion

[noun]

(Scottish) Buckfast Tonic Wine, a strong fortified wine popular in parts of Scotland

Ex: She joked that her weekend wasn't complete without commotion lotion.

down the cludgie

[phrase]

(Scottish) lost, wasted, or irretrievable

Ex: That old phone finally went down the cludgie.

electric soup

[noun]

(Scottish) strong fortified wine, typically referring to highly alcoholic or potent varieties

Ex: She joked that her weekend wasn't complete without electric soup.

fitba

[noun]

(Scottish) soccer

Ex: The fitba season starts next week, can't wait!

Gorbals kiss

[noun]

(Scottish) a headbutt, typically delivered in a fight

Ex: She told the story of the fight and the Gorbals kiss that finished it.

sosh

[noun]

(Scottish) a cooperative store

Ex: He popped into the sosh for a loaf of bread.

to spraff

[Verb]

(Scottish) to speak excessively or pointlessly

Ex: I can't listen to him spraff on any longer.

titty

[noun]

(Scottish) a sister or a girl, used affectionately

Ex: The titty next door is really friendly.

tube

[noun]

(Scottish) a foolish or stupid person

Ex: She called him a tube after he tripped over nothing.

up the kyte

[phrase]

(Scottish) pregnant

Ex: My cousin is up the kyte and due in December.

wane

[noun]

(Scottish) a child

Ex: The wane tripped over but quickly got back up .

wreck the hoose juice

[phrase]

(Scottish) Buckfast Tonic Wine, a strong fortified wine popular in parts of Scotland

Ex: A few glasses of wreck the hoose juice and the party was lively.

mad with it

[phrase]

(Scottish) extremely drunk or intoxicated

Ex: They were all mad with it by midnight.

to malky

[Verb]

(Scottish) to slash or cut someone with a razor

Ex: Police said the suspect malkied his victim.

moddies

[noun]

(Scottish) the school subject Modern Studies in Scotland

Ex: Moddies covers politics, society, and current affairs.

mortalled

[Adjective]

(Scottish) extremely drunk or intoxicated

Ex: They were all mortalled by midnight.

offski

[Adjective]

(Scottish) away, not present, or off somewhere

Ex: They were offski early to catch the train.

scud

[Adjective]

(Scottish) naked; unclothed

Ex: The dog scared him, and he ended up scud in the yard.

to skite

[Verb]

(Scottish) to drink a large amount of alcohol

Ex: We skited after the match to celebrate the win.

snitcher

[noun]

(Scottish) a handcuff

Ex: He joked about wearing the snitchers for a prank.

Geographical & Cultural English

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