Favourites from my Scots cousins and mother:
They are great, the Scots, for having some wonderful bits of language.
Lots snipped that I know by osmosis; lots that would stymie me.
(I'm from the other end of the land mass).
This I probably wouldn't use, but wouldn't be surprised at it and wouldn't have particularly associated it with Scottish folk.
"Dinnae fash!" (don't get overwrought)
I'd actually understand this from my Dad (& Mum) who were both Geordies (north of England - from Tyneside) and my Dad's old performances of the song The Lambton Worm - in full dialect. It's years since they lived "oop north" so there's no trace of accent now. I'm the eldest and was born in Plymouth (south coast) thanks to Dad's naval career. (Although my Mum was in the WRNS - I believe they met over the engine of a Phantom jet, or that's the story they tell, and my brother in the Royal Naval Reserves). So I've never spoken with a Geordie accent but IIRC there's a line in the song about "fash your gobs".
"Ah dinnae ken..." (I don't get it)
Ah! That's your cliched Scots impression line.
"It's a dreich day!" (cold, damp and miserable - archetypal Scots weather!) (and most popular for infantry exercises)
dreich is obscure, but many know it. I know it from sharing an office for a year or three with a Scot.
"Malingerer!" - (someone lazy - Grandad used to tease me with this and accused me of "Swingin' the lead" as well.
This is Scots is it? Very well known all over in that case.
Traditional Amazing Grace on the pipes at funerals
I like the idea of this but I think it would have to be a with music being played in the gaming room. A pure description of this just wouldn't have the emotional impact.
Folk who wear a stocking knife and the superstition is it must draw blood before it is drawn or an ill fate will befall the wielder (your own blood will do so you can prick yourself)
Ummm, surely it must draw blood before it's sheathed?!
Or do stocking knives stick out at an angle?!
In a clannish (Gov't Type 1) situation, you could have clan feuds which would embroil unwary travellers.
Funnily enough, I've just been writing such... :-) Perhaps I'll go back and layer on some Scots for atmosphere.
This all reminds me of when my Dad (USAAF,USAF, WWII, Korea) went TDY to London for some months when I was young.
There you go... had to look up TDY!
Leonard wrote:
>As to rubbers, for some of us older folks they were a sort of
>waterproof thing that went over your shoes (and didn't extend up to
>your ankles, as opposed to overshoes which were a sort of boot).
surely that's a galosh!?
tc