Scots Haivering?

Magical shows and magical disappearing acts. Edinburgh Festival season has lots of surprises in store. And just as with any holiday, its wise to learn a few tricks before you travel north to Edinburgh...

photo from http://flickr.com/photos/garyth123/213541486/sizes/s/

Good wallpaper, if you want to remember your Scots...

So here are a few Scots words and phrases you might find handy:

• Drookit: a useful one for festival season 2008, drookit means literally dripping wet, as many native to Edinburgh will know all about
• Haiver: sometimes also spelt ‘haver’, this is most famously used in the Proclaimers’ song ‘500 miles’. It refers to talking nonsense, and in this instance is a funny, relaxed activity between couples.
• Stramash: again, a useful one to know for busy times of year in Edinburgh. A stramash is a commotion or fuss.
• Scunner: this means difficulty or nuisance; it can also be used to express disgust or annoyance. As in, ‘I’m pure scunnered wi the weather.’
• Bodhan: this is a drum for traditional Scottish music, used to help pipers keep rhythm. The drum is held in the hand and is relatively light. You could find them at ceilidhs or at live music gigs in the capital, for example in the Royal Oak, just off Nicolson Street.
• Bawface: can just mean a person with a round, chubby face. You might hear it as a cheeky form of address ‘hey bawface!’ Another variant of this is bawhead.

Does this sound like a foreign language? Do you know it better - could any of these definitions do with some changes?

• 25 Aug 2008
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