Glossary for William Ridley and the Celtic Cross

You’ve been asking…

“Hey, Connie. I love your book, but had a hard time understanding some of those Scottish words…can you please post something that explains them?”

When I first landed in Scotland, not 5 minutes after picking up my rental car, lights & a siren lit up behind me! EEK! The officer softly said, “Yer not from around here, are ye?”

‘What gave it away?” I asked.

“Ye see those people?” He pointed down the road…”Ye’ve given them a fright by making an illegal turn, and I might mention, yer driving up the bus lane!”

 “Oh, dear!” I exclaimed, “You’re not going to throw me in the dungeon, are you?”

 With a laugh, he checked my license, asked where I was headed, then instead of writhing me a ticket, provided me an escort to the castle! How kind, and I still remember that to this day.

Words are important! So, here’s a few I hope will bring more light to William’s story.”

Glossary

• Hey, let’s go grab a cuppa! There’s  a nice new cafe just round the corner.
• Do they serve biscuits too?
• Absolutely the best, and home made scones too!
• There’s a lot of eating going on in that book, William Ridley and the Celtic Cross! Makes me acrach!

• Acrach – Hungry
• Aye – Yes
• Away with the fairies – giving the impression you are mad, distracted or just in your own little dreamworld
• Bairn – Child
• Braw – Very fine, Excellent or Handsome
• Boggin – Disgusting, Filthy, Stinky or Smelly
• Bum – Bottom
• Biscuit/s – Cookies, baked treats like Penguins or Jaffa Cakes
• Cannae – Cannot
• Chuffed – Pleased or delighted
• Claidheamh Mor/Claymore – Scottish 2-handed sword
• Co-là-breith math – Happy Birthday
• Come fae – Comes from i.e. Where do ye come fae?
• Crackin’ / A Cracker – Fantastic or very good
• Cuppa – A cup of tea/coffee hot beverage
• Daft – Out of one’s mind (away with the fairies)
• Didnae – Didn’t  i.e. Ah didnae dae that!
• Dinnae – Don’t
• Dinnae Ken – Don’t know
• Disnae – Does not
• Easy-Peasy – Simple or Easy
• Eejit – Idiot or Dunce
• E’er – Ever
• Fae – From
• feasgar breagha – lovely evening
• Firth – A narrow inlet
• Firth of Forth – the estuary of the River Forth
• Flannel – Wash cloth
• Football – In the USA it’s called soccer, but in the UK, it’s always been football
• Ghillie brogues – Highland dress shoes
• Gutted – Disappointed or upset
• Havering – Whining or complaining
• Haud yer weesht – Impolite way of saying, “Be quiet!”
• Ken – Know, knew or to know
• Knackered – Tired out (Human) or Broken (Objects)
• Lad – Boy or young male
• Lass or Lassie – Girl or female
• Mate – Friend
• Minging or Mingin’ – Very bad, unpleasant, smelly
• Mum – Mom/Mother
• Nae – No or not
• Ne’er – Never
• Numpty – Foolish or stupid person, has no idea what they’re talking about
• O’er – Over
• Off his or her head – Someone who acts crazy
• Peely Wally – looking pale or sickly
• Sark – Shirt, essential layer or foundation of men’s kilted outfit
• Sporty – Excels in, or is Sports minded
• Tae – to i.e. “Where ye going tae?”
• Uilleam – William
• Wabbit – Tired
• Wean – Child or infant
• Wee – Small or tiny
• Wisnae – Was not
• Weesht – Hush

By the way…

• While this is not an exhaustive list, it encompasses most of the Scottish terms you’ll discover in William Ridley and the Cetlic Cross.
• If you come across another term you’re not familiar with, please let me know and I’ll add it to the list.