Contemporary Scots Slang

- A -

• A dinnieken I dont know
• ABC Minors - kiddies shows or movies
• Aff - Off
• Am'fair peched  - to pech  i.e.  breathe noisily
• AmurNay - I am not!
• An then yer arse fell aff. A term used when someone is bullshitting.
• Arse bandit - Pejorative term for a homosexual
• Aslaat - I was remarked to say
• Auldjin - Anybody older than 40.
• Away an bile yer heid - Get lost, shut up.
• Awfy Peely-Wally -  Sick, ill  
• Aye -  Yes or always, depending on usage

 - B -

•  Ba'-heid - over-inflated opinion of their own importance. pronounced Baw Heed
•  Back a (ten) Phrase meaning meeting time (I'll meetcha the back a' ten)
• Back green - backyard, common area behind a tenement
• Baffies - Slippers, house shoes
• Bahookie - freezer A bum freezer - A jacket or jersey that's too short
• Bairn - child
• Bajin - A bad one.
• Baltic - really cold
• Bampot - an idiot, unhinged person (He is a bampot)
• Barnie - A bit of bother, a scuffle.
• Barry - Splendid, good, wonderful
• Baw  - bag scrotum
•  Bawbag - scrotum, pejorative, also a useless person
• Bawsed - drunk
• Bauchle - A wee fat wifie.
• Beedy -  Sharp or citrus like taste
• Beelin  - (1) A boil or very angry plook! (2) Boiling, angry
• Bellywasher - Pint of beer.
• Berries - Great, brilliant
• Besom - Originally a broomstick (supposing connected to witch), but now means a cheeky hussy, loose woman,
• Bin howker or Bin Diver - A person who 'howks' (takes) rubbish out of bins for further personal use.
• Blether - Gossip, chat extensively
• Bletherskite - Someone talking rubbish, in the listener's opinion.
• Vlootered - drunk
• Boggin - smelly, dirty (That's boggin'!)
• Bothy - A wee shepherds hut or roughly built holiday cottage.
• Bowfin - smelly, similar to howfin.
• Braw - Good

• Cannae - Can not, can't.
• Capercaillie - A game bird, looks kinna like a humungous grouse or partridge!
• Catch a canter -  Hanging onto the back of a horse drawn waggon or dray without the drayman seeing you.
• Chanty wrassler - a useless dishonest person 
• Chaynge - no idea
• Cheeky - smart aleck
• Chillax - a combonation between chill and relax
• chib/chibbin - a chib is a weapon (knife, bat, wood) - chibbin is the adjective (He is gonna get a chibbin)
• Choob Tube - Stupid Person. Idiot.
• Chuckter pronounced: chookter (or there abouts) means a yokel or non-townser
• Chuffed Pleased -usually with oneself
• Clipe -  to tell or snitch on someone
• Clootie dumplin - A boiled pudding rich with dried fruits.
• Close - An alleyway, a passage at the rear of houses.
• Clout - To slap or hit.
• Cludgie - Toilet
• Coaxy - A piggy back carry. Also can be Collie-buckie
• Contermashious - Contrary
• Coo - prenounceation of Cow in scotland.  Can be am insult
• Corriejukit - Left or wrong handed
• Coup - Rubbish dump
• Coupin'  - Hurting like hell.
• Crabbit  - grumpy
• Crakin - nice
• Cratur - Whisky, scotch.
• Crivens - Goodness me!
• Cuddy - a horse; maybe also a donkey; even wee ponies.
• Cuddy lug - A smart clout around the ear.
• Coupon - face

- D -

• Daftie - A harmless idiot
• Dale - a plank 'Diving dale' = diving board at a swimming pool
• De'il -  Satan
• Deid - Dead
• Derry - to blame another
• Didnae - Did not.
• Dingy  - to ignore
• Dinnae -  Don't.
• Dog  - To have unauthorised absence from school, playing hookie
• Doggin - Having sex in the back of a car
• Dokey  -A penis as in "Sook mah dokey"
• Drookit - Soaked to the skin. - heavy rain
• Druthy - Thirsty
• Dubble Nuggit - Ice cream between sandwich
• Dunt - A thump, blow
• Dwam - Daydream

• Eat the breed -  idiot
• Eeejit - A fool, an idiot
• Erse - Arse, bum

-F-

• Fag – cigarette, short of Faggot or False man, straw man
• Fanny – it’s not the same as in US!! Fanny is front of the bod!! ;-)
• Fash – worry, fret
• Feart – feared, one who is scared is a freatie cat
• Fit – to kick something
• Fitba – Football, soccer
• Flaky – panicky
• Footer – to fiddler or tinker around something
• Foosty – dust covered, moldy
• Forfochan – exhausted and worn out
• Full Bhoona – excited, give full attention to

-G-

• Gadgie – terms for a man
• Gallus – impressive, awesome
• Gallusses – suspenders or braces to hold up your breeks
• Gammy – something defective, such as a gammy leg
• Gantin – disgusting, repulsive
• Geezabrek – give me a break
• Gemmy – not to be confused with gammy – the is more Western Scotland it means cheeky – och, you gemmy devil….
• Gen-up – something is on the up and up, genuine
• Gey – not to be confused with gay…if something is gey…it just means very
• Ginger – ginger ale, soft drink – this is West Scotland. East Scotland you’d ask for a bottle of Juice
• Gingy – deposit bottles for soft drinks, also can be referred to as Glass Queue, Jeg or Rammy
• Girn – to frown
• Gladys – means shite, cockney style word from Gladys Knight, Knight rhymes with shite (Trouble and Strife=wife)
• Glaikit – stupid
• Gob – to spit
• Gowp – in agony or pain
• Gravit – woolen scarf
• Greet – cry - don’t go greeting about spilled milk...
• Gub – mouth – shut her gub….
• Guising – similar to trick or treating. Children would traditionally go Guising at Halloween in order to collect money to buy fireworks for bonfire night November 5th
• Gutties – cheap tennis shoes good for walking in the gutters

-H-

• Haar - fog
• Hank Marvin – starving
• Haud Yer Wheesht – shut up
• Harry Wraggs – Siggys or Fags, cigarette
• Hash – to make a mess of something
• Hauf ‘n a Hauf – a half pint of beer or lager and a dram of whiskey
• Hing Oot – a loose woman
• Hipple – to limp
• Hochmagandy – sex between unmarried couple. It was a stoning offence in Northern Scotland
• Hogmanay – New Year Eve (see the Hogmanay Page)
• Hurl – is not slang for barfing, but a ride…so if someone offers you a hurl, they they are merely offering you a ride up the road

-I-

• Icey – ice cream cone
• Ill Trickit – naughty or misbehaving
• Innit – isn’t it?

-J-

• Jag – injection, shots
• Jaggy – bad tempered, irritatble, jittery
• Jakey – a bum, alchoholic
• Jammy – not a pajama, but someone who has all the luck
• Jeeked – tired, exhausted
• Jeely Piece – a jam sandwich
• Jumper – a sweater

-K-

• Keeker – a black eye
• Keep The Heid – simply staying cool in when everyone else is losing it
• Ken – to know (kent=knew kens=knows kenned=knew)
• Kenspeckle – spotted or motley
• Kettle – a wristwatch
• Kip – sleep
• Knickers - panties

-L-

• Lass – a woman
• Lad – a man
• Leather – beating with a belt
• Leal – Loyal
• Lift – elevator
• Lorry - truck
• Loupin – infested with lice
• Lug – an ear or can also be eavesdrop

-M-

• Manky – for an object manky is dirty or filthy (also used in this same manner is Mawkit); for a person to be described in this manner is to say he is a sexual deviant (also Minger – originally Scots, but now used all over Britain)
• Messages – no not emails or phone messages, it means to go shopping, generally for grocieries.
• Mind – don’t forget
• Morn – morning as in tomorrow morn
• Muckle – grand, large, a lot

-N-

• Napper – the head
• Nash – hurry up
• Ned – Non-Educated Delinquent, Ne’er-do-well
• Neebs – neighbours
• Neep – turnip (note that Neep is a turnip, while a turnip in Scotland refers to pumpkins or gords)
• Nookie Badge – passion mark; love hickey

-O-

• Offski – leaving fast, get away quickly
• Oxtex – armpit

-P-

• Pagger – a fight
• Partan – a crab, refers to someone cranky
• Peely-Wally – pale, wan, sickly
• Peenge – To moan or bitch, complain
• Peenie – An apron
• Pee the Bed – a dandelion (from old lore – it was believed his a child picked one he would wet the bed that night)
• Piece – sandwich
• Pillock - idiot
• Plank – plant as in ‘plant yourself down’
• Plaster – sticky plaster; Band-Aid
• Playgie – Playground
• Plook – a zit; plooky is acne
• Podger – to have sex
• Poke – the paper fashioned into a cone for fish and chips
• Polis – Police (Boaby is the Scottish nickname for a Bobby)
• Potted – dead
• Pram Posse – several mothers with baby buggies
• Puddock – frog
• Puff – to be alone
• Puggled – exhausted, knackered
• Puggy – vendor machine
• Punt-up – to cup ones hands and give a boost upon a horse
• Pus – similar to gub, a mouth

-R-

• Radge – in a rage, mad, furious
• Rake – no, not the legendary rake in romances, but an unspecified number such as “we are expected a rake of visitors to the exhibit”
• Randan – have a wild night on the town
• Red Biddy – cheap red wine and methylated spirits
• Rift – to belch or burb
• Right off the Reel - straight away, immediately
• Rub Shop – a massage parlour that offers more than a massage
• Rubber Ear – to ignore someone, what they say bouncing off your ear

-S-

• Sap – someone who is a weakly
• Scaffy – a road sweeper
• Scooby – a clue – coming from Scooby Do
• Scoosh – soft drinks
• Scran – food – so if someone says “I’m Hank Marvin, got any scan.” He’s starving, so you have anything to eat
• Scratcher – a bed
• Scuddy – naked – Playboy has scuddy pictures
• Scunner – to make yourself or others sick
• Semmit – a vest
• Sesh – tie one on, get drunk and stay drunk for a long time
• Shan – unfair or mean spirited
• Shillpit – skinny or underfeed
• Shining Bright – a sarcastic response meaning the opposite – “My chances of winning the lottery is shining bright”
• Shite it – to be scared or afraid
• Shoogle – wobble, shake tremble
• Shoot the Craw – to leave – “I’d love to stay and run my gub, but I have to shoot the craw”
• Silly Moo - idiot woman
• Single/Supper – how to order fish in a fish and chips shop – Single is just the fish no chips, Supper is with chips
• Skelly Eyed – someone who has a weaselly expression; squinty eyed
• Skelp – to slap someone
• Skite – double meaning 1) to hit someone 2) to slide on a wet or oily surface
• Slater – a wooden house, plank siding
• Slug – a belt or drink, a slug of gin
• Snell – snow
• Snotter – runny nose
• Soap Dodger – someone who forgets to bath often
• Sov – a gold sovereign ring, flash jewellery
• Spam Valley – middle class neighbourhoods
• Spaver – splinter of wood
• Spawny – lucky
• Spew – like blaw means to vomit
• Spraff – to talk, gossip
• Square Go – a fight between two equals
• Stauner – an erection
• Steamie – a laundry
• Stoat – head your head on something
• Stoater – something impressive
• Stookie – a plaster cast for when you break your arm or leg
• Stoor – dust
• Stooshie – a protest or fuss
• Stowed Oot – extremely busy place
• Swick – the cheat or swindle
• Switherin – hesitating, unsure
• Sybie – a spring onion

-T-

• Ta – thank you, also bye as in ta ta
• Tadger – an insult to a man…hum…family jewels meaning it’s small
• Tap – borrow something – “can I tap you for a cup of sugar”
• Tarry – marijuana
• Tattie – potato
• Tattie-Bogle – scarecrow
• Tea Jenny – someone who drinks tea constantly
• Thrapple – throat
• Torn Faced – horrid mood
• Tosser (Wanker) – insult to males
• Tottie – very small
• Tro – quick farewell
• Twat - idiot

-W-

• Wallies – false teeth
• Wean – a child, literally “wee one”
• Wee Man – a male child or a short male
• Well-Skelped Erse – someone whose face show signs of alcoholism
• Winchin – going steady
• Windae Licker – feeble minded or action feeble minded
• Wired In – if someone tells you “wired in” it means help yourself