David Rorie
A
adae: ado
ae: one
a'-gate: everywhere
aglee: amiss
ailin': sick, ill
ails ye at: is wrong with
airt: direction, quarter
an: if
apotheck: lot, concern
argy-bargy: quarrelsome argument
ace-puckle: spark from fire
attour: over
Auld Ane, A. Geordie, A. Hornie, A. Nick, A. Nickie-Ben, A. Sootie: the Devil
fair awa wi't: gone off; in the state of death; "done for"
awyte: affirmative expression
ayont: beyond
B
ba': ball
to get on the ba': to go on a jollification
bade: stayed, resided
baird: beard
ban: curse, abuse
bane-doctonin': bone-setting
bar: joke, good tale
bauchles: old down-at-heels shoes
bawsent: streaked white on face
bedfast: confined to bed
beelin': suppurating
beerit: buried
besom: a worthless woman
bide: to dwell; wait
bield: shelter
biggin: building
billy: fellow
binna: be not
bin: move rapidly
birr: energy
birse: bristle
to get your birse set up: to be made angry
at the bit: at the crisis
blade: a gallant
blaw: boast
blether: talk nonsense
beast or body: lower animal or man
bogie-roll: black twist tobacco
bogle: apparition
bonnet-laird: small landed proprietor
bourachie: crowd
branks: halter, bridle
brizz: press
broddit: gored
brods: boards
brookit: grimy, streaked with soot
bubbly-jock: turkey
Buchan: the author of "Buchan's Domestic Medicine"
bude: was compelled to
buller: roar
burr: prickly seed-case or head of certain plants
busk: to deck, adorn
but-an'-ben: two-roomed cottage
buttery: flattering
bye wi't: done for
byornan: extraordinary
byous: very
C
ca': drive, work
ca' owre: overturn
ca': call
cahoochy: indiarubber
caird: tinker, tramp
caller: fresh
cankert: ill-natured
canny: careful, cautious
carle: old man, churl
chack: nip
chaft: cheek
chappit: struck
cheeky-on: in a lop-sided manner
cheep: squeak, faint sound
chief: friendly, intimate
chiel: stripling, a term of intimacy
chimbley-cheek: hearth
clachan: hamlet
clanjamphry: mob, riff-raff
clarty: dirty
clatter: noisy talk
cloot: patch
clour: a blow
coats: coaties, petticoats
cockernony: gathering of a woman's hair into a "snood" or fillet
cod: pillow
cogie: a wooden vessel for holding drink, etc
connach: waste, destroy
conter: thwart, contradict
coup: upset
couth: pleasant, agreeable
crack: gossip
craig: throat
cnambo-clink: rough rhyme, doggerel
cramoisie: crimson
cranreuch: hoar-frost
creishy: fat, oily
crine: shrivel, grow small with age
crockanition: utter destruction
cry: to be in labour
cryin': accouchement
cuits: ankles
curn: a party, an indefinite number
cut: ken the c., know the type, style
cutty: short clay pipe
D
dab: dinna lat d., keep it secret
daddin': striking, hitting
dagont: mild expletive
daikerin': strolling
dandrin', dannenin': strolling
dang: drove
darg: day's work
daw: dawn
dawtie: pet, term of endearment
deave: deafen
deid: dead; death
deleerit: delirious
deuks: ducks
devaul: cease, halt
dicht: wipe
ding on: on-fall
dinna: do not
dirdum: loud noise
divert: amusement, entertainment
Dod: mild expletive
doo: pigeon
doo's cleckin': two, a pigeon's hatch
dookit: dove-cote
doon-bye: down yonder
doon-settin': settlement in life
dootna: doubt not
dour: hard, stubborn, unyielding
dree: endure
drooth: thirst
drumlie: turbid, muddy
duds: ragged clothing
dunt: blow, knock
dwam: fainting turn
dwine: waste away
E
Eck: abbreviation for Alexander
efterhan': afterwards
eident: industrious
eild: old age
eld: old age
eildins: of equal age
eith: easy
elba: elbuck, elbow
Elfan: land of Faerie
eldritch: unearthly, ghostly
ense: else, otherwise
ettlin': on the point of, intending
expeckin': enceinte
F
fair hornie: fair play
fa'n: fallen
fash: trouble
faurer: further
favour: resemble in feature
feck: majority
feckless: weak, incapable, worthless
Fegs: corruption of "Faith"
fell: (intensive) exceedingly
ferlies: wonders
figure o' fun: laughable oddity
fin': feel
fire in the ee: foreign body in eye
fire-en': fireplace, hearth
firin': firewood
firstlin's: earliest products
fish hake: triangular wooden framework on which to hang fish
flannen: flannel
flee-oot on: scold, abuse
fleechin': cajoling, flattering
fleg: frighten
fley: v. fleg
flype: turn outside in
flyte: scold
fobbin': panting
forbye: in addition
forcy: urgent
forebears: ancestors
fore-handit: paid in advance
forfaughen: exhausted
forrit: forward
even forrit: straight on
fosh, foshen: fetched
weel on fowre: nearly four o'clock
frait: superstitious belief
freen': friend, usually meaning a blood relation
a far-awa' freen': a distant relation
foonert: foundered
fykin': trouble, effort
G
gaed owre: went beyond all bearing
gaffer: overseer
gait: way, street
galliard: a gallant, a gay youth
gallivant: go about idly for pleasure
gang wi' the heart: agree with the inclination
gangrel: vagrant, tramp
gant: yawn
gar: to cause to
gar the heart rise: sicken
gaun-aboot: wandering
gear: wealth, property; apparatus
gey: very, considerably
gey fast: wild
gibbles: tools, articles, wares
gie him the name: name the child after him
gillie-callum: a Highland dance
gin: if
gird: hoop
girn: whimper, find fault fretfully
gerse: grass
gizzent: warped, twisted through drought
glamourie: fascination
gled: hawk
gleg: of quick perception
glist'rin': shining
gloamin': dusk
glower: stare, scowl
glumph: look sulky, moody
govy-dick, g. -ding: exclamation of surprise
gowpin': throbbing
grat: wept
gravit: muffler, cravat
green: long for
greet: shed tears
grew: shiver, rigor
grewsin': shivering
grozer-buss: gooseberry-bush
gude-mither: mother-in-law
guerdon: gift
guf: whiff, savour
gully: large knife
gunny: boisterous
haar: thick mist
hail doon: fall copiously
haill apotheck: whole concern
hairst: harvest
hame, nicht the bairn cam' h.: night the child was born
hamewan: homewards
hantle: large quantity; much
happit: wrapped up
harns: brains
heed, tak' h.: take care
heels owre gowdie: head over heels
heicher: higher
heirskep: inheritance
herry: harass, plunder
hippen: child's napkin
hirple: hobble
hist: hasten
hives: eruption on the skin from internal cause; feverish attack
hoast: cough
holin': digging out (coal)
hoolit: owlet
hooly: slowly
hornie: far h., fair exchange
horny-golloch: earwig
hotchin': swarming
howdie: midwife
howe: hollow, small glen
howk: dig. hunker-slidin', mean, deceitful
hurdies: buttocks
hurl: a lift on the road
I
ilk, ilka: each
ill-deedie: evilly disposed
ill-trickit: mischievous
in-bye: inside
ingans: onions
ingle: fireside
intil: into
intimmers: the intestines, "inside"
I'se: I shall
J
jalouse: suspect, guess, imagine
jamphle: shuffle in walking
jaw: abusive talk
jimp: slender
jocoe: jocose, happy
jorum: big drink
jouk: stoop to evade a blow
joukery-pawkery: double-dealing, trickery
jucks: ducks
K
kebbuck: cheese
keek, keekin'-gless: peep, looking-glass
keppit: met
Kilmamnock: nightcap
kilt: tuck up
kimmer: a "gossip"
kink-hoast: whooping-cough
kintra-side: countryside
kist: chest
kist o' whistles: organ, harmonium
knee-pan: knee-cap
knock: clock
knowe: hill, knoll
L
lappers: clots
lasher: heavy blow
lave: the rest, remainder
leal-he'rtit: true-hearted, loyal
lear: lore
leear: liar
lee-lane: alone
leman: illicit lover
leuch: laughed
libel: label
lichtsome: cheerful
lift: sky
lilt: cheerful tune or song
ling: heather
linn: precipice over which water falls
lippen: to trust, have faith in
little-boukit: small-sized
littlens: small children
loof: palm of hand
loot: stoop
loup: leap
lowe: flame
lowse: loose; to cease work
lugs: ears
lum hat: silk hat
M
makar: maker; a poet
malison: a curse
mawkin: hare
mell: mallet, large wooden hammer
merchant: country shopkeeper
midden-heid: top of dunghill
mim-mou'd: affectedly proper, prudish
miracklous: very drunk
mirk: dark, night
mischanter: mishap, accident
mischeef: severe hurt, harm
mizzle-shinn'd: having legs discoloured by constantly sitting in front of the fire
mools: the earth of a grave
moose-wabs: cobwebs
mows: a joke, jest. mudge, movement
mudge: movement
mutchkin: pint
N
nabal: a mean, greedy churl
narra i' the swalla: narrow-throated
neb: nose
neeps: turnips
nice: particular
nieves: fists
nirled, nirlt: shrunken, shrivelled
noos an' ance: now and then
nosey-wax: easily cheated simpleton
nott: needed
no-weel: unwell
O
or: ere
orra: of no account, disreputable
owre: over
oxter: armpit
P
paidle: wade
pains: rheumatism
palmer: to wander
pang-fu': crammed full
pawky: shrewd, sly
pearlins: thread-lace
pech: pant, breathe hard
pen-gun: pop-gun
pike: pick
plain-stanes: pavement
plantin': plantation
pooch: pocket
pree: taste
preen: to deck oneself
prink: to deck oneself
puckle: small quantity
puddens: intestines
puirtith: poverty
Q
quate: quiet
quean: damsel
R
rackit: strained
raird: clamour, a noisy tongue
ravelt: confused, tangled
rax: reach
reddin' straik: blow got by one trying to stop a fight
redd-up: put in order
reid: red
reid-wud: stark mad
reist: to stop, arrest
rife: widespread
riggin': ridge of a roof
rispin': making a harsh sound
rive: tear
roup: sale
routh: abundance
rovin': wandering
row: wrap, roll
rowt: bellow
royt: wild, mischievous
rudas: bold, masculine
rug: pull, haul, drag
runt: withered old man or woman
S
saftness: weakness of character
sair: serve, satisfy
sair: sore, sorely
sark: shirt
Sassenach: Southron
saugh: willow
Saunt: saint
saut: salt
scart: scratch
scoug: take shelter from
screich: screigh, shriek
screich o' day: daybreak
scunner: disgust
Seelie: fairy
set: kind, manner, type
sets: suits
shakers: nervous tremors
shauchle: shuffle in walking
shilpit: weak, sickly. shool, spade
shoon: shoes
shot: distorted. sib, related to
sic: such
siccar: sure
siller: wealth
silly: physically weak
sinon: sinew
sizzon: season
skail: empty
skaith: injury, damage
skeely: skilful
skelp: smack
skirl: shriek
skirly-nackit: noisy half-clad child
sklim: climb
skreek: shriek
sleekit: sly, hypocritical
slocken: quench thirst
sma'-boukit: small-sized
smeddum: mettle, spirit
smiddy: smithy
smirr: drizzle
smoor: smother
sookers for bairns: "comforters"
soondin': auscultation
sorn: to sponge on
sotter: bubble, sputter as in cooking
sough: sigh, sound of wind
spails: splinters, chips
spate: flood
spitterin': hissing
spunk: spirit, pluck
spunkies: mischievous sprites
spunks: matches
stappit: stuck, placed. stamns, stars
staw'd: surfeited
steer: commotion
stiddy: anvil; steady
stoiter: stumble
stound: ache, throb
stour: dust
strae: straw
in the strae: in labour
stramp: tramp
stroup: spout
styme: glimpse, faint gleam
sutten-doon: chronic
swat: sweated
sweer: reluctant
swite: sweat
Symie: the Devil
syne: ago, since; then, afterwards
sype: ooze, soak through
T
tack: lease
taed: toad, a term of endearment
tapsalteerie: head over heels
tastin': small quantity of drink
tattles: potatoes
tel't: told
tent: care, heed
teuch: tough
thae: these, those
thee: thigh
thig: beg, entice
thocht: worry, care
thole: endure, bear
thonder: yonder
thowless: spiritless, lacking energy
thrang: busy
throw: through
tick: credit, trust
till, till't: to, to it
timmer: timber, wood
tinkler: tinker
tint: lost
tirravee: commotion
tocher: dowry
tousy: unkempt. tow, rope. tmachelt, overworked
trail: walk slowly
traivel: walk. tramp, tread. trimnile, tremble
troke: to work in a small way
trokes: odd jobs
tryst: appointment
tuilzie: fight
twa-fauld: bent double from age or exhaustion
twal: twelve
twalmont: twelve months
tyne: lose
U
ugsome: disgusting, horrible
unchancy: unlucky; mischievous
unco: uncommon, strange
unction, unctioneer: sell by auction, auctioneer
unmensefu': unmannerly
up-bye: up the way
uptak: intelligence
W
wacht: big drink
wad: wager
waddin': wedding
waesome: woeful
wag-at-the-wa': wall-clock with pendulum and weights exposed
wale: choose
wame: belly
wan: won
wan: pale, dim, gloomy
wap: a smart stroke
warlock: wizard
warsle: wrestle
wat: wetted
wat his whustle: took a drink
waur: worse
wean: young child
weel-a-wat: affirmative exclamation
weel on: intoxicated
weet: wet
weird: fate
werrucks: corns, bunions, excrescences on feet
wersh: tasteless
whiles: occasionally, sometimes
whilk: which
widdy: gallows
winnock: small window
winsome: comely
wirral: small, rickety child
wit: sense
wricht: carpenter
wrocht: worked
wud: mad; reid wud: stark mad
wyte: blame
Y
yark: jerk, wrench
yatter: to speak incessantly and loudly
yerl: earl
yetts: gates
yird: earth
yird-fast: earth-fast
yoke: to begin, to set to with vigour
yooky: itchy
yowe: ewe