Parliamo Scots?
- Verbs



  • "Bumfle" - wrinkle or crease untidily, as in "My sheets were all bumfled after a restless night"
  • "Coorie doon" - to nestle or snuggle down close as in "Coorie doon ma wee bairn"
  • "Dicht" - scold. The word also means to wipe clean, such as "Give the dishes a quick dicht" or "Gie yer face a dicht"
  • "Dotter" - to walk unsteadily or to stagger as in "The auld man wis dottering doon the street". Related words are "dotterel" (a stupid person) and the English word "dotage".
  • "Fankle" - originating from the Gaelic word "fang" for a sheepfold, to fankle someting is to tangle it as in "the wool got fankled and stopped me from knitting". As a noun, it can also be a state of confusion "Dinna get yourself into a fankle"
  • "Gang oan aboot" - make a fuss, as in "Ye didnae need tae gang oan aboot me spillin' the milk."
  • "Gie someone his coffee" - scold someone soundly.
  • "Get it over the fingers" - a reprimand, no doubt derived from the days when pupilswere rapped over the knuckles by the teacher.
  • "Get your heid in your hands" - receive a severe scolding. In Glasgow the severity is added to by "Ye'll get yer heid on yer hauns - an' yer teeth tae play wi'".
  • "Go your dinger" - lose your temper.
  • "Haver" - to talk nonsense. "Yer havering man" or "Don't give us your havers"
  • "Hirple" - limping or hobbling. "I could only hirple after spraining my ankle"
  • "Jouk aboot" - duck, dodge and weave about. To "jouk the school" is to play truant.
  • "Lichtsome" - carefree and cheerful or light on one's feet. "She was right lichtsome at the Strathspey" (where a Strathspey is one of the many forms of Scottish country dancing).
  • "Licht" is of course "light".
  • "Loup" - to jump or leap as in "Come and see the salmon loupin." Something which will "gar ye loup" will make you start with pain or surprise. "Loup the cuddie" is leapfrog.
  • "Pit oot his pipe" - put him in his place.
  • "Pit the hems on" - keep in order, as in "Jeannie pit the hems on her husband so he couldnae get to the pub."
  • "Plouter" (rhymes with doubter) - splash through or play with water or mud (a favourite pastime of children...) To "plouter about" is to do something in an aimless manner
  • "Sherrack" - a public dressing down, as in "She gave Jimmy a right sherrackin' in the street for coming home drunk."
  • "Shoogle" - to shake or rock from side to side "Don't shoogle the ladder." A shoogle is a shake or nudge such as "Give me a shoogle if I fall asleep." The old tram cars were known as "shooglies." And if someone's "jacket is on a shoogly peg" he is in danger of getting the sack!
  • "Skelp" - to smack or slap. "You'll get a skelpit leatherin when I get you home"
  • "Skliff" or "Scliff" - many a boy has been told "Don't skliff your feet" - walking without lifting their feet properly so that their shoes scrape along the ground. It can also mean to strike with a glancing blow.
  • "Stand like a stookie" - stand still, in a helpless bemused way. A "stookie" is a scarecrow!
  • "Stechie" - stiff and slow moving, as in "That fitba player's nae use, he's too stechie".
  • "Trauchle" - walk slowly and wearily. "It wis an awfae trauchle takin' the weans (children) tae the zoo".
  • "Wheesht" - keep quiet/shut up! A variant is "haud your wheesht" Not to be confused with "wheech" which is to move through the air with a whizzing sound or to snatch or "wheech" away.


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