Local Colloquialisms

[Alex Kintner]

Learned today that in some areas, bingo is another name for drugs.

 

Any other interesting local colloquialisms folk are aware of?

 

In Bathgate where I grew up we called the ice cream van the “Boni”. Nobody else I’ve spoken to seems to use this. 

[Auldbenches]

Not a colloquialism, but was the saying 'who killed the cat' for trousers that were too short just a local Edinburgh thing?  

[Alex Kintner]

1 minute ago, Auldbenches said:

Not a colloquialism, but was the saying 'who killed the cat' for trousers that were too short just a local Edinburgh thing?  

We used “cat’s deid” for that in Bathgate 👍🏻

[Auldbenches]

3 minutes ago, Alex Kintner said:

We used “cat’s deid” for that in Bathgate 👍🏻

It must've been used in places like Glasgow and Lanarkshire.

Were you Clarty or clatty?  

[Alex Kintner]

1 minute ago, Auldbenches said:

It must've been used in places like Glasgow and Lanarkshire.

Were you Clarty or clatty?  

Clarty. Well at least until Sunday night when I had my weekly bath.

[Lone Striker]

13 minutes ago, Alex Kintner said:

 

In Bathgate where I grew up we called the ice cream van the “Boni”. Nobody else I’ve spoken to seems to use this. 

As in Mr. Boni ?   He/they had ice cream shops in Edinburgh back in the day.

[leginten]

19 minutes ago, Alex Kintner said:

Learned today that in some areas, bingo is another name for drugs.

 

Any other interesting local colloquialisms folk are aware of?

 

In Bathgate where I grew up we called the ice cream van the “Boni”. Nobody else I’ve spoken to seems to use this. 

Mr Boni’s ice-cream dynasty.

 

Boni, Faccenda Ltd. used to make their cones at the Hayfield Biscuit Factory in Gorgie. I had a summer job there in 1976.

[Alex Kintner]

That explains the Boni thing then 👍🏻

[Konrad von Carstein]

51 minutes ago, Auldbenches said:

Not a colloquialism, but was the saying 'who killed the cat' for trousers that were too short just a local Edinburgh thing?  

When did your cat die? , was the saying when I was growing up in Hutchison & Saughton Mains... And attending Craiglockhart and Tynecastle

[Greedy Jambo]

I remember when did your cat die. 

 

The new one is, you've got a playmobil hair cut. 

Edited September 22, 2021 by Greedy Jambo

[Victorian]

When I was at school (Forries),  those 1980s tartan / checked pattern jeans that were shat upon the world were known as Broomie troosers.  It tended to be natives of the nearby settlement of Broomhoose that had them.

[Auldbenches]

5 minutes ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

When did your cat die? , was the saying when I was growing up in Hutchison & Saughton Mains... And attending Craiglockhart and Tynecastle

I wonder if it was used further than the lothians. 

Asked about clatty and clarty because I also wonder where things become more west Scotland 

[Auldbenches]

1 minute ago, Victorian said:

When I was at school (Forries),  those 1980s tartan / checked pattern jeans that were shat upon the world were known as Broomie troosers.  It tended to be natives of the nearby settlement of Broomhoose that had them.

Forgot about them.  Was the make not 51 states?  

[Auldbenches]

4 minutes ago, Greedy Jambo said:

I remember when did your cat die. 

 

The new one is, you've got a playmobil hair cut. 

The best hair one was.  Who cut your the council? 

Also cheap trainers were known as Adidas pontoons.   One twist and they were bust.   

Kids don't the credit they deserve for good piss taking.  

Why play mobile? 

[Victorian]

4 minutes ago, Auldbenches said:

Forgot about them.  Was the make not 51 states?  

 

Not sure.  Just remember the bloody things.

 

Scaff.  That's a tremendous,  almost onomatopoeic word.

Edited September 22, 2021 by Victorian

[Auldbenches]

1 minute ago, Victorian said:

 

Not sure.  Just remember the bloody things.

 

Scaff.  That's a tremendous,  almost onomatopoeic word.

Treg was the other one   onomatopoeic is brilliant.  

[Greedy Jambo]

8 minutes ago, Auldbenches said:

The best hair one was.  Who cut your the council? 

Also cheap trainers were known as Adidas pontoons.   One twist and they were bust.   

Kids don't the credit they deserve for good piss taking.  

Why play mobile? 

 

[Greedy Jambo]

There's folk that have had the same hair cut since primary school to be fair. 

[Victorian]

Clamped is easy to understand.  But does anyone know the etymology of similar sayings of the time,  'dingied' and 'bobbied'?  Not to be confused with 'boabbied'.  

[Auldbenches]

Just now, Greedy Jambo said:

There's folk that have had the same hair cut since primary school to be fair. 

My hair has always been fair, what am I supposed to..?  

Look like a strawberry ginger goth? 

[Victorian]

1 minute ago, Greedy Jambo said:

There's folk that have had the same hair cut since primary school to be fair. 

 

Broomie scaffs?

[Konrad von Carstein]

13 minutes ago, Auldbenches said:

I wonder if it was used further than the lothians. 

Asked about clatty and clarty because I also wonder where things become more west Scotland 

Clarty...

[Alex Kintner]

A few football ones:

 

Semi’s

Backie-in

Free goalie

Seven and bye

Top bag

[Auldbenches]

1 minute ago, Victorian said:

Clamped is easy to understand.  But does anyone know the etymology of similar sayings of the time,  'dingied' and 'bobbied'?  Not to be confused with 'boabbied'.  

Clamped was brilliant.   If someone's worried about going somewhere and catching covid, just tell them to put their bees up... 

[Victorian]

1 minute ago, Alex Kintner said:

A few football ones:

 

Semi’s

Backie-in

Free goalie

Seven and bye

Top bag

 

Are those really football related?

[Alex Kintner]

1 minute ago, Alex Kintner said:

A few football ones:

 

Semi’s

Backie-in

Free goalie

Seven and bye

Top bag

Also can’t remember the name of the thing we used to do with our feet to decide who kicked off. Two people took turns stepping towards each other with one foot in front of the other until one person could step on the other’s foot. Maybe called “tipsies”?

[Alex Kintner]

Just now, Victorian said:

 

Are those really football related?

Yeah semi’s probably better known as cuppy.

Backie in was a goalkeeper who can come put and play outfield as well.

Seven and bye was a headers and volleys game.

[Victorian]

1 minute ago, Alex Kintner said:

Also can’t remember the name of the thing we used to do with our feet to decide who kicked off. Two people took turns stepping towards each other with one foot in front of the other until one person could step on the other’s foot. Maybe called “tipsies”?

 

Tappies

[Victorian]

Just now, Alex Kintner said:

Yeah semi’s probably better known as cuppy.

Backie in was a goalkeeper who can come put and play outfield as well.

Seven and bye was a headers and volleys game.

 

I was kidding.  

[Alex Kintner]

Just now, Victorian said:

 

I was kidding.  

I know Vic 😉

[AlphonseCapone]

The scotmid in Blackburn is called the 'suppie' (pronounced 'soo-py'). 

[Greedy Jambo]

24 minutes ago, Victorian said:

 

Broomie scaffs?

It goes deeper than that. I know a guy that is fairly successful and well off that still has the same hair cut. 

[Tazio]

Any families that were even lower than scaffs used to get called cavies. Short for cavemen I suppose 

[Morgan]

Shotty.

 

Better nash.

 

Run like the bars.

[Victorian]

7 minutes ago, Greedy Jambo said:

It goes deeper than that. I know a guy that is fairly successful and well off that still has the same hair cut. 

 

Inbred then.

[Lone Striker]

Not sure if these are general Scots words or peculiar to just some parts - definitely used them and heard them in Edinburgh as a youngster though

 

Drookit    - soaked

Cludgie   - toilet

Stoorie    - dusty

Lobby      - hallway

 

[pharmaceutical01]

Remember being told to ‘put it on the bunker’ 

[Greedy Jambo]

1 minute ago, Victorian said:

 

Inbred then.

 

I know a couple inbreds as well. fairly well off on our taxes. 

[Lone Striker]

5 minutes ago, Morgan said:

Shotty.

 

Better nash.

 

Run like the bars.

Forgot about Shotty.   Did that evolve from Shotgun  (as in "riding shotgun" = lookout) ?    

[Morgan]

Just now, Lone Striker said:

Forgot about Shotty.   Did that evolve from Shotgun  (as in "riding shotgun" = lookout) ?    

That’s what I always took it as, yes.  👍

[Victorian]

Nash is a top word.  As is the Embra jobby... the tolley.  

[Lone Striker]

Another one my Dad used  now & then was "poor oot".      Turns out it isn't discriminating against folk with no money, it's actually  "pour out" - an old tradition after a church wedding when the groom threw a handful of coins on the ground for local children to collect.  

[AlphonseCapone]

3 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

Another one my Dad used  now & then was "poor oot".      Turns out it isn't discriminating against folk with no money, it's actually  "pour out" - an old tradition after a church wedding when the groom threw a handful of coins on the ground for local children to collect.  

 

A scatter? 

[Tazio]

Just now, AlphonseCapone said:

 

A scatter? 

Nut. A poor oot 

[Lone Striker]

1 minute ago, AlphonseCapone said:

 

A scatter? 

Presumably.  Although in Morningside, it would probably be a "scetter"  😀 

[JudyJudyJudy]

“ cowie “ as in he / she’s got “ the cowie” 

 

ive never been able to find out how that expression started . 

[Alex Kintner]

39 minutes ago, Tazio said:

Any families that were even lower than scaffs used to get called cavies. Short for cavemen I suppose 

They were “minks” in our area which I always thought was ironic given the cost of mink! 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Alex Kintner]

19 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

Another one my Dad used  now & then was "poor oot".      Turns out it isn't discriminating against folk with no money, it's actually  "pour out" - an old tradition after a church wedding when the groom threw a handful of coins on the ground for local children to collect.  

A scramble 👍🏻

[JudyJudyJudy]

“ snib “ - nose 

 

“ Peter “ - cell ( prison ) 

 

“bowl crop “ - pudding based hair cut !😂

[JudyJudyJudy]

1 minute ago, Alex Kintner said:

They were “minks” in our area which I always thought was ironic given the cost of mink! 🤷🏻‍♂️

Oh yes “ minks “ I recall that 

 

“ tinkers “ as well 

 

“ tarry “ - hash  ( solid ) 

 

smetnay - cigarette 

 

 

 

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