Scottish slang (and it’s spelling)

[Morgan]

We were with our American friends last night. 

 

We used the word ‘erky’ to them in conversation, needless to say they hadn’t heard it before.

 

Today we wondered how it should be spelt (I said erchie and my wife said erkie) so we  looked up a Scottish slang dictionary online. 

 

Apparently the ‘correct’ spelling is Erkie, so her indoors was correct.

 

Anyway, what other good Scottish (or indeed, Edinburgh in particular) words do we use, and how are they spelt, be it correctly or otherwise?

 

 

[Boris]

Radge

[Pans Jambo]

Stooshie

[gjcc]

Shan

 

Example:

Here, you hear about Deek? Garry O’Jos sneezed while geein’ him a gam. Took his boaby right off. Pure Shan. 

[been here before]

The correct spelling is choob.

 

The incorrect spelling is tube.

 

[Tazio]

Never been sure of the spelling of choarie, as in, the act of borrowing something permanently. 

[graygo]

28 minutes ago, Morgan said:

We were with our American friends last night. 

 

We used the word ‘erky’ to them in conversation, needless to say they hadn’t heard it before.

 

Today we wondered how it should be spelt (I said erchie and my wife said erkie) so we  looked up a Scottish slang dictionary online. 

 

Apparently the ‘correct’ spelling is Erkie, so her indoors was correct.

 

Anyway, what other good Scottish (or indeed, Edinburgh in particular) words do we use, and how are they spelt, be it correctly or otherwise?

 

 

 

Never heard of erky or erkie, always erchie for me. Dinnae want tae start a stooshie over it though.

 

Edit: The Pans fellae used the stooshie word before me so I'll change mine to "pagger".

Edited October 4, 2019 by graygo

[milky_26]

1 minute ago, graygo said:

 

Never heard of erky or erkie, always erchie for me. Dinnae want tae start a stooshie over it though.

same with me always erchie and i agree we cannae hae a stramash over it

[ri Alban]

Clattie for me, never say clarty.

 

[Sharpie]

Are there still keelies in Edinburgh

 

[Morgan]

20 minutes ago, Tazio said:

Never been sure of the spelling of choarie, as in, the act of borrowing something permanently. 

I’ve always thought it was ‘chorie’

 

Which, after you’d choried something you would have to ‘nash’ or ‘stoorie’.

[Morgan]

21 minutes ago, graygo said:

 

Never heard of erky or erkie, always erchie for me. Dinnae want tae start a stooshie over it though.

 

Edit: The Pans fellae used the stooshie word before me so I'll change mine to "pagger".

Aye, as I said in the OP, I thought it was ‘erchie’ as well.

[Morgan]

20 minutes ago, milky_26 said:

same with me always erchie and i agree we cannae hae a stramash over it

Barry.

[Sirudi]

My favourite childhood word has always been Maulicate.

As in, I am going to maulicate you ya wee radge.

 

A close second is Yoker, which referred to a brick or stone.

As in, that wee radge threw a yoker at me.

 

Did anyone else ever speak in “eggie” language ??

A long lost art I fear.

[Morgan]

1 minute ago, Sirudi said:

My favourite childhood word has always been Maulicate.

As in, I am going to maulicate you ya wee radge.

 

A close second is Yoker, which referred to a brick or stone.

As in, that wee radge threw a yoker at me.

 

Did anyone else ever speak in “eggie” language ??

A long lost art I fear.

Eggie language!   

 

Where you put the letters ‘eg’ after every vowel?  That one?

 

Not a lost art to me.

[Hugh Phamism]

18 minutes ago, Morgan said:

I’ve always thought it was ‘chorie’

 

Which, after you’d choried something you would have to ‘nash’ or ‘stoorie’.

 

Aye, Chor it is. Or Chorie, chorred, etc. From an old Urdu word for thief 

[Morgan]

Just now, Hugh Phamism said:

 

Aye, Chor it is. Or Chorie, chorred, etc. From an old Urdu word for thief 

Cheers, Hugh.

 

That’s actually very interesting.

[graygo]

22 minutes ago, bobsharp said:

Are there still keelies in Edinburgh

 

 

Hunners of them Bob. Clarty yins anaw.

[Morgan]

Just now, graygo said:

 

Hunners of them Bob. Clarty yins anaw.

Aye, mingin’.

[Sharpie]

We had one what I now realise was not someone who shopuld have been victimised but in fact a sorrowful case, but he was seen as being clairty, mingin, and a keelie. In class the teacher would tell him as he had a constantly running nose to use paper from  the waste basket to clean it. One day something else occurred and one of the boys told him your jersey's holier than the Bible. Never have forgotten that.

[ri Alban]

3 minutes ago, bobsharp said:

We had one what I now realise was not someone who shopuld have been victimised but in fact a sorrowful case, but he was seen as being clairty, mingin, and a keelie. In class the teacher would tell him as he had a constantly running nose to use paper from  the waste basket to clean it. One day something else occurred and one of the boys told him your jersey's holier than the Bible. Never have forgotten that.

Keelie? Is it a manky tramp.

[Les Izemore]

18 minutes ago, Sirudi said:

My favourite childhood word has always been Maulicate.

As in, I am going to maulicate you ya wee radge.

 

A close second is Yoker, which referred to a brick or stone.

As in, that wee radge threw a yoker at me.

 

Did anyone else ever speak in “eggie” language ??

A long lost art I fear.

 

Neggo. 

[Morgan]

Just now, Les Izemore said:

 

Neggo. 

Cegorregect.

[Morgan]

18 minutes ago, Morgan said:

Eggie language!   

 

Where you put the letters ‘eg’ after every vowel?  That one?

 

Not a lost art to me.

Meant to say before every vowel.

 

Segorry.

[Sirudi]

Fegorgegivegen Megorgegan

[ri Alban]

11 minutes ago, Morgan said:

Cegorregect.

Warmer(sounds like Harmer), Dobber, pudding(Sounds like Rudd) , Gallus, Mintit, sortit, fandan, Dyke, Jobbie, Tadger, Crak, Dawdle, Glaikit, Jaikit, Soaks, Samnites, Plimmies, Jakey, Alkie, Banger, Sleekit, Ponce, Stinge, Slever, Slebbee, Slaver, Sannies.

Edited October 4, 2019 by ri Alban

[¼½¾]

26 minutes ago, Morgan said:

Aye, mingin’.

Wi their geers hingin oot o' their breeks nae doobt.

Edited October 4, 2019 by Lemongrab
their not there ffs

[Boris]

51 minutes ago, Morgan said:

I’ve always thought it was ‘chorie’

 

Which, after you’d choried something you would have to ‘nash’ or ‘stoorie’.

Or if the danger of being apprehended was acute, a “stoorie Nash” was the order of the day.

[Sharpie]

19 minutes ago, ri Alban said:

Keelie? Is it a manky tramp.

In my time it was kids who came from some of the areas that have now been demolished, generally identified by not the best in clothing and sometimes hygiene, and not the ones if you were smart you picked a fight with.

[ri Alban]

Troosers, Roaster.

[Sharpie]

Got punched on the boko, a filly, a full size fitba'. Snotters, a runny nose. crabbit, usually old people.

[ri Alban]

2 minutes ago, bobsharp said:

In my time it was kids who came from some of the areas that have now been demolished, generally identified by not the best in clothing and sometimes hygiene, and not the ones if you were smart you picked a fight with.

👍 The handmedoon brigade, from a family of 12.

[scott herbertson]

39 minutes ago, Hugh Phamism said:

 

Aye, Chor it is. Or Chorie, chorred, etc. From an old Urdu word for thief 

 

 

Like many of the other words in this thread it came into Scots from Scottish gypsies (presumably from Indian origins) . I think Barry is the same  as is of course gadge or gadgie and radge There were a lot of gypsy words used around Northfield and it probably was significant there was a traveller's sire nearby. We stayed in Northfield Farm Avenue. The farm was still there but stopped being a working farm when I was about 8 (1964) and it was a great dare to approach the doors (and 'chap' on them)  which were daubed with what we thought were witch's symbols but which  I believe were gypsy signs.

 

A great read is the 1822 'Life of Haggart' by David Haggart, an Edinburgh criminal. Much of the slang in it is traveller-derived. Here is a link to the glossary - the whole book is here and it is a very entertaining read.

 

https://archive.org/details/b24930052/page/170

 

Haggart wrote it from his death cell as a 'confessional' but his love of his life of crime and debauchery shines through the whole book.

Edited October 4, 2019 by scott herbertson

[Jambojay84]

Always remember muckle(?) when I was a bairn. Basically a big guy “ he’s pure muckle”

[Sharpie]

Just now, ri Alban said:

👍 The handmedoon brigade, from a family of 12.

 

Most of what has been posted throughout was my native language until about 15/16 years of age, English as spoken now was a second language I had to learn. What was always good was to hear the wee better off blazer wearers trying to speak just like us.

[ri Alban]

Snegs, Floaters, bevvy merchant, boatle merchant, dug, bird, turd, flakey, Teuchter, saddler sniffer.

[ri Alban]

2 minutes ago, bobsharp said:

 

Most of what has been posted throughout was my native language until about 15/16 years of age, English as spoken now was a second language I had to learn. What was always good was to hear the wee better off blazer wearers trying to speak just like us.

Loved it.

[Jambojay84]

 

1 minute ago, scott herbertson said:

 

 

Like many of the other words in this thread it came into Scots from Scottish gypsies. I think Barry is the same  as is of course gadge or gadgie and radge There were a lot of gypsy words used around Northfireld and it probably was signinificanrt there was a traveller's sire nearby. We stayed in Northfield Farm Avenue. The farm was still there but stopped being a working farm when I was about 8 (1964) and it was a great dare to approach the doors (and 'chap' on them)  which were daubed with what we thought were witch's symbols but which  I believe were gypsy signs.

 

A great read is the 1822 'Life of Haggart' by David Haggart, an Edinburgh criminal. Much of the slang in it is traveller-derived. Here is a link to the glossary - the whole book is here and it is a very entertaining read.

 

https://archive.org/details/b24930052/page/170

 

Haggart wrote it from his death cell as a 'confessional' but his love of his life of crime and debauchery shines through the whole book.

Worked with a guy years ago that would always tell me at the end of a shift. “ get ma joogle in ma screev “ someone else always done it too. Turns out it’s his dog getting put in his car, I now use joogle alot 🤣🤣🤣

[The Internet]

Bam - similar to radge

 

Pap - coward

 

I judge anyone who can't spell those though. 

[ri Alban]

2 minutes ago, Mauricio Pinilla said:

Bam - similar to radge

 

Pap - coward

 

I judge anyone who can't spell those though. 

Bampot, Bamstick

 

Shitebag

[The Internet]

1 minute ago, ri Alban said:

Bampot, Bamstick

 

Shitebag

 

Heard bampot a lot but not bamstick. 

 

Shitebag is one of the top insults. Hear it a lot at tynecastle these days. 

[ri Alban]

1 minute ago, Mauricio Pinilla said:

 

Heard bampot a lot but not bamstick. 

 

Shitebag is one of the top insults. Hear it a lot at tynecastle these days. 

 

[graygo]

21 minutes ago, Boris said:

Or if the danger of being apprehended was acute, a “stoorie Nash” was the order of the day.

 

Should have someone keeping shottie.

[ri Alban]

Coorie, Coorie in. Stoorie(dusty)

Edited October 4, 2019 by ri Alban

[Big Slim Stylee]

1 hour ago, ri Alban said:

Clattie for me, never say clarty.

 

 

Always clarty for us. We’re obviously way posher than you 😀

[been here before]

Fud.

 

Pieces

[ArcticJambo]

25 minutes ago, scott herbertson said:

 

 

Like many of the other words in this thread it came into Scots from Scottish gypsies (presumably from Indian origins) . I think Barry is the same  as is of course gadge or gadgie and radge There were a lot of gypsy words used around Northfield and it probably was significant there was a traveller's sire nearby. We stayed in Northfield Farm Avenue. The farm was still there but stopped being a working farm when I was about 8 (1964) and it was a great dare to approach the doors (and 'chap' on them)  which were daubed with what we thought were witch's symbols but which  I believe were gypsy signs.

 

A great read is the 1822 'Life of Haggart' by David Haggart, an Edinburgh criminal. Much of the slang in it is traveller-derived. Here is a link to the glossary - the whole book is here and it is a very entertaining read.

 

https://archive.org/details/b24930052/page/170

 

Haggart wrote it from his death cell as a 'confessional' but his love of his life of crime and debauchery shines through the whole book.

 

In the Edinburgh History thread someone posted a picture, this one ...

 

Not sure if it was captioned with the following info or if I sourced the info from elsewhere:

Grassmarket 1904 - Grassmarket Mission Bairns Outing later know as The Barries after Alex Barrie appointed Super in 1916. (outings to beach at Porty/down coast)

 

I'd like to think that perhaps it influenced the use of the word Barrie. Is Barrie a purely Edinburgh word I wonder?

Edited October 4, 2019 by ArcticJambo

[been here before]

Guider

 

Guiser

[Big Slim Stylee]

27 minutes ago, Jambojay84 said:

 

Worked with a guy years ago that would always tell me at the end of a shift. “ get ma joogle in ma screev “ someone else always done it too. Turns out it’s his dog getting put in his car, I now use joogle alot 🤣🤣🤣

 

How’s that English Lit degree going for you?

[ArcticJambo]

Quote

Under the stewardship of Alexander Barrie, who was appointed Superintendent in 1916, the Mission was built up "into an organisation unimagined by his predecessors" to the extent that the Mission became known colloquially as "the Barries". To this day there are people who still remember "Barrie's trips". At one time up to 1500 children are said to have assembled in the Grassmarket, accompanied by 200 adult volunteers, to take the tram out to Gorgie terminus for a picnic in a field at Stenhouse Mills.

https://www.grassmarketmission.org/about_us/history.htm