Glossary

a’                                   all

ablaw                            below

aboon                            above

affray                            confront, embattle

ahint                             behind

airt                                area, direction

auld fail dyke              dry-stone, mortarless wall

ba’                                 handball

bairn                             baby

baith                             both

bakit                             baked auld fail dykes              

banes                            bones

big w’ spate                  in flood

bloomie                        hillside with heather in bloom

brae                             shallow hill

braw                            good, attractive         

brig                              bridge

brocht                          brought

broon                           brown

brush                            fox’s tail, trophy

burd                             lady, female

burn                             stream

burn-drain’d foldit’   stream drained, folded

butes                            boots

ca’                                call

cairter                         drayer, transporter

callants                        young men, blades

canny                           easy-going

cauld                            cold

coor                             to tend to

copper                         old penny

corbies                       crows  

cour                             curb

croon                           crown

dae                               do

din                                noise

dinna                           do not

doon                            down

doonfa’                        stream down

dossin’                        resting

dowie dens                  comely banks

drag                             trail

droon                            drown

dune                             done

e’en                              evening

fain wad                       oh would

fayre                             fare

fell                                cunning, deadly

fernent                        close to

fit                                 foot

fleet                             gale wind

fower                           four

frae                              from

fly                                crafty

fu’ sair                        weeping profusely

fye                                very well

gae                               go

gae’d                            went

gaun                             going

gei’                               give

geids’t                          gave

gie a froon                   frown upon

gill                                old pewter measure (two “pecks”)

gim’-an’keen               game and keen

gin (with hard ‘g’)       if

grit                                close friends

guaid                             good

guidin’ mei                   using me

hae tae lie                     have to take a rest       

hagg                              undercut bank of stream

hain                               bring back

Hake                              type of fish

halberd                          long-handled axe

hame                              home

haud                               hold

hauf                                half of

hause-bane                   spinal bone    

heaths                           moors

herd callant                 young farm laborer

het-blood root              hot-blooded ancestry

hot-trod                        chase after theft of stock

ilka                               every

ir’                                  are

ken                                to know

kirk                              church 

knei                               knee

kirkstyle wa’              church entry wall

laigh                              low

leal                                loyal

lee’er                             liar

leeved                           lived

leish-yald                     free-roaming, fit

licht                              light

lichted doon                 dismounted

lum                               chimney

lum hat                        “chimney hat” or top hat

mane                            conversation

maun                            may

mitres                          church hat

moof                             mouth

muckle                         large

na’ gein                        not giving

nicht                             night

nippit                            frozen

noddles                         heads

ocht                              anything

played at the glove     equestrian race to grab the glove from atop a post set in the ground.

puir                              poor

purl                              winding stream bed

quaff                             to drink in one swallow

quo’                              said, stated

rade at the ring          equestrian game:  to spear a suspended ring

reivin’                          raiding

rivin’                            tearing

sark                             shirt

shankbanes                 leg bones

shod ma clutes            shod my hooves

shoon                            shoes

sib                                 one with

sic’                                touch

single-shod shoon      clogs

skate                             type of fish

skirl                              howl

soof                               south

soondin’                       riding/singing

sough                           tree

stanes                          stones

swabbit                        walloped

swally                          swallow, engulf

swate                           swiftly

“Syne!”                      check it out!

tae fee                          to look for work

tapsalteerie                on top of

tattie scones               potato scones

the syke that’s jairbled frae  the fell  A streambed which has run following the contours of a hill

theke o’or nest            thicken our nest

thole                              bear

toom                              down

thae                               these

thrae                             from

threep                           instill

trow                              declare

twa                                two

unco’                            uncommonly

untae                            unto                 

wae                               woe

wangs                           chunks or rough cut pieces

weel                              well

welkin                         alarm horn sound

wot                                I see that

wundy                          windy

yald                              wholesome, fit aspect

yeh nicht                     very night

yiblins                         no doubt              

yin                                one