Glossary
A’
All.
Aboon
Above.
Accolade
Salutation marking the bestowal of knighthood.
Ae
One.
Aff
Off.
Afore
Before.
Ahint
Behind.
Ain
Own.
Aits
Oats.
Alane
Alone.
Amaist
Almost.
Ambry
Cupboard, a pantry.
An
If.
Ane
One.
Aneuch
Enough.
Array.
Trouble.
Assoilzied.
Acquitted.
Assythment.
Satisfaction.
Auld
Old.
Aweel
Well.
Aye
Always.
Baff
Blow.
Bagganet
Bayonet.
Bailie
City magistrate in Scotland.
Bairn
Child.
Baith
Both.
Ban
Curse.
Banes
Bones.
Bang Up
Get up quickly, bounce.
Barley
A parley, a truce.
Bauld
Bold.
Baulder
Bolder.
Bawbee
A halfpenny.
Bawty
Cunning.
Baxter
A baker.
Bees
In the, stupefied, bewildered.
Beflummed
Cajoled.
Begunk
A trick, a cheat.
Ben
In, inside.
Benempt
Named.
Bent
An open field.
Bhaird
Bard.
Bicker
A wooden dish.
Bide
Endure.
Bieldy
Shelter.
Bigging
Building.
Birlieman
A peace officer.
Blackcock
Black grouse.
Black-Fishing
By torchlight poaching.
Blinked
Glanced.
Blude
Blood.
Blythe
Glad.
Boddle
A copper coin, worth one third of an English penny.
Bodle
Copper coin worth a third of an English penny.
Bogle About the Bush
About the bush, a children’s game.
Bole
Bowl.
Bonnie
Comely, fine,
Boot-Ketch
Bootjack.
Boune
Prepared.
Bra’
Handsome, showy.
Brae
The side of a hill.
Brander
Broil.
Brissel-Cock
A turkey cock.
Breeks
Breechs.
Brent
Smooth, unwrinkled.
Brogues
Highland shoes.
Broken Men
Outlaws.
Broo
Broth.
Brought far ben
Held in special favor.
Browst
Brewing.
Bruckle
Brittle, infirm.
Bruik
Enjoy.
Brulzie
A broil, a fray.
Bullsegg
A gelded bull.
Burd
A term of familiarity.
Burn
Brook.
Busking
Decoration.
Buttock-mail
A fine for fornication.
Bydand
Awaiting.
Ca’
Call.
Cadger
Country carrier.
Cailliachs
Old women on whom devolved the duty of lamenting for the dead, which the Irish call keening.
Callant
A young lad, a fine fellow.
Cannily
Prudently.
Canny
Prudent, skillful, lucky.
Canter
Canting, whining beggar.
Cantrip
A trick.
Carle
Churl, an old man.
Cateran
Highland irregular soldier, a freebooter.
Chiel
A young man.
Clachan
A hamlet.
Clamhewit
Blow, a drubbing.
Clash
Gossip.
Clatter
Tattle, noisy talk.
Claw favour
Curry favour.
Claymore
A broad sword.
Cleik
Cunzie, steal the silver.
Close
A narrow passage.
Clour
A bump, a bruise.
Cob
Beat.
Coble
A small fishing boat.
Cockyleeky
A soup made of a cock, seasoned with leeks.
Coghling and Droghling
Wheezing and blowing.
Cogs
Wooden vessels.
Cogue
A round wooden vessel.
Concussed
Violently shaken, disturbed, forced.
Coronach
A dirge.
Corri
A mountain hollow.
Cove
A cave.
Coup
Fall.
Cow yer Cracks
Cut short your talk, hold your tongues.
Crack
Boast.
Craig
The neck, the throat.
Crame
A booth, a merchant’s shop.
Creagh
An incursion for plunder, termed on the Borders a raid.
Crouse
Bold, Courageous.
Crummie
A cow with crooked horns.
Cuittle
Tickle.
Curragh
A Highland boat.
Cut-lugged
Crop-eared.
Daft
Mad, foolish.
Daur
Dare.
Deaving
Deafening.
Debinded
Bound down.
Decreet
An order of decree.
Deliver
Light, agile.
Deoch an Doruis
The stirrup-cup or parting drink.
Dern
Concealed, secret.
Dingle
Dinnle, tingle, vibrate with sound.
Dinmonts
Wethers in the second year.
Doer
An agent, a manager.
Dog-head
The hammer of a gun.
Doil’d
Crazed, silly.
Doon
Doun, down.
Dorlach
A bundle.
Dovering
Dozing.
Dow
A dove.
Dowf
A little drop, a small quantity of drink.
Duinhé-Wassel
Dunniewassal, a Highland gentleman, usually the cadet of a family of rank.
Eanaruich
The regalia presented by Rob Roy to the Laird of Tullibody.
Effeir
What is becoming.
Eneugh
Eneuch, enough.
Ergastulo
In a penitentiary.
Etter-cap
A spider, an ill-natured person.
Evite
Avoid, escape.
Ewest
Ewast, contiguous.
Exeemed
Exempt.
Factory
Stewardship.
Fallow
A fellow.
Fauld
Fold.
Feal and Divot
Turf and thatch.
Feared
Afraid.
Feck
A quantity.
Feifteen
The Jacobite rebellion of 1715.
Fendy
Good at making a shift.
Fire-raising
Setting an incendiary fire.
Flemit
Frightened,
Fleyt
Frightened, shy.
Frae
From.
Fu
Full.
Fule
Fool.
Gad
A goad, a rod.
Gaberlunzie
A kind of professional beggar.
Gane
Gone.
Gang
Go.
Gar
Make.
Gate
Gait, way.
Gaun
Going.
Gay
Gey, very.
Gear
Goods, property.
Ghaist
A ghost.
Gillie
A servant, an attendant.
Gillie-wet-foot
A barefooted Highland lad.
Gimmer
A ewe from one to two years old.
Gin
If.
Gîte
Crazy, a noodle,
Gled
A kite.
Gleg
Quick, clever.
Glisk
A glimpse.
Graning
Groaning.
Grat
Wept.
Gree
Agree.
Greybeard
A stone bottle or jug.
Grice
Gryce, gris, a pig.
Gripple
Rapacious, niggardly.
Gowd
Gold.
Gude
Guid, good.
Gulpin
A simpleton.
Ha’
Hall.
Hag
A portion of copse marked off for cutting.
Haggis
A pudding peculiar to Scotland, containing oatmeal, suet, minced sheep’s liver, heart, etc., seasoned with onions, pepper, and salt, the whole mixture boiled in a sheep’s stomach.
Hail
Whole.
Hallan
A partition, a screen.
Hame
Home.
Hantle
A great deal.
Heck
A hay rack; at heck and manger, in plenty.
Herships
Plunder.
Het
Hot.
Hirsts
Knolls.
Hog
A young sheep before its first shearing.
Horning
Charge of, a summons to pay a debt, on pain of being pronounced a rebel, to the sound of a horn.
Horse-couper
Horse-cowper, a horse-dealer.
Howe
A hollow.
Houlerying and poulerying
Hustling and pulling.
Hurley-house
A broken-down manor house.
Ilk
Same; of that ilk, of the same name or place.
Ilka
Each, every.
In the bees
Stupefied.
Ingle
A fire burning upon the hearth.
Intromit
Meddle with.
Keepit
Kept.
Kemple
A Scotch measure of straw or hay.
Ken
Know.
Kittle
Tickle, ticklish.
Kippage
Disorder, confusion.
Kirk
Church.
Kyloe
A small Highland cow.
Laird
Squire, lord of the manor.
Land-louper
A wanderer, a vagabond.
Lang-leggit
Long-legged.
Lawing
A tavern reckoning.
Lee land
Pasture land.
Leddy
A lady.
Lie
A word used in old Scottish legal documents to call attention to the following word or phrase.
Lift
Capture, carry off by theft.
Lightly
Make light of, disparage.
Limmer
A jade.
Loch
A lake.
Loon
An idle fellow, a lout, a rogue.
Luckie
An elderly woman.
Lug
An ear, a handle.
Lunzie
The loins, the waist.
Mae
Mair, more.
Mains
The chief farm of an estate.
Mair
More.
Maist
Most, almost.
Mart
Beef salted down for winter.
Malt abune the meal
The drink above the food, half-seas over.
Mask
Mash, infuse.
Maun
Must.
Meal-ark
A meal chest.
Merk
13⅓ pence in English money.
Mickle
Much, great.
Misguggled
Mangled, rumpled.
Mony
Many.
Morn
The morn, tomorrow.
Morning
A morning dram.
Mousted
Powdered.
Muckle
Much, great.
Munt
Mount.
Muir
Moor.
Mutchkin
A measure equal to about three quarters of an imperial pint.
Na
Nae, no, not.
Naigs
Horses.
Nail
The sixteenth part of a yard.
Nainsell
Own self.
Nathless
Nevertheless.
Neb
Nose, tip.
Ne’er be in me
Devil be in me.
Nice
Simple.
Nolt
Black cattle.
Ony
Any.
Old to do
Great doings.
Orra
Odd, unemployed.
Orra time
Occasionally.
Ower
Over.
Paitrick
A partridge.
Panged
Crammed.
Parritch
Oatmeal porridge.
Peculium
Private property.
Peel-house
A fortified tower.
Pendicle
A small piece of ground.
Pingle
A fuss, trouble.
Pinners
A headdress for women.
Plack
A copper coin worth one third of a penny.
Plaidy
An outer covering for the body.
Plenish
Furnish.
Ploy
Sport, entertainment.
Pottingar
An apothecary.
Pownie
A pony.
Powtering
Poking, stirring.
Pretty men
Stout, warlike fellows.
Quean
A young woman.
Redd
Part, separate.
Reifs
Robberies.
Reises
Twigs, branches.
Reivers
Robbers.
Resiling
Retracting, withdrawing.
Riggs
Ridges, ploughed ground.
Rinthereout
A roving person, a vagabond.
Rokelay
A short cloak.
Row
Roll.
Rowed
Rolled.
Rowt
Cried out, bellowed,
Roynish
Scurvy, coarse.
Rudas
Coarse, hag-like.
Sae
So.
Sain
Mark with the sign of the cross, bless.
Sair
Sore, very.
Sall
Shall.
Saumon
Salmon.
Sark
A shirt.
Saut
Salt.
Say
A sample.
Scarted
Scratched, scribbled over.
Schellum
A rascal.
Scouping
Scowping, skipping, leaping, running.
Scroll
Engross, copy.
Seannachie
A Highland antiquary.
Shanks
Legs.
Shearing
Reaping, harvest.
Sheers
Shears.
Shilpit
Weak, sickly.
Shoon
Shoes.
Shouther
The shoulder.
Sic
Siccan, such.
Siccan
Sic, such.
Sidier dhu
Black soldiers, independent companies raised to keep peace in the Highlands; named from the tartans they wore.
Sidier roy
Red soldiers, King George’s men.
Sikes
Small brooks.
Siller
Silver, money.
Silly
Weak.
Simmer
Summer.
Sliver
Slice, slit.
Skig
The least quantity of anything.
Sma’
Small.
Smoky
Suspicious.
Sneck
Cut.
Snood
A fillet worn by young women.
Sopite
To quiet a brawl.
Sorners
Sornars, sojourners, sturdy beggars, especially those unwelcome visitors who exact lodgings and victuals by force.
Sorted
Arranged, adjusted.
Sowens
The seeds of oatmeal soured.
Speir
Ask, investigate.
Spence
The place where provisions are kept.
Sporran-mollach
A Highland purse of goatskin.
Sprack
Animated, lively.
Sprechery
Movables of an unimportant sort.
Spring
A cheerful tune.
Spuilzie
Spoil.
Spong
Pick one’s pocket.
Saint Johnstone’s tippet
A rope or halter for hanging.
Stieve
Stiff, firm.
Stirk
A young steer or heifer.
Stoor
Rough, harsh.
Stot
A bullock.
Stoup
A jug, a pitcher.
Stouthreef
Robbery.
Strae
Straw.
Strath
A valley through which a river runs.
Streeks
Stretches, lies.
Syboes
Onions.
Syne
Before, now, ago.
Ta
The.
Taiglit
Harassed, encumbered, loitered.
Tappit Hen
A pewter pot that holds three English quarts.
Tauld
Told.
Teil
The devil.
Teinds
Tithes.
Telt
Told.
Thae
Those.
Thir
These.
Thole
Bear, suffer.
Thraw
Twist, wrench.
Threepit
Maintained obstinately.
Throstle
The thrush.
Till
To.
Tirrivies
Hasty fits of passion,
Tocherless
Without dowry.
Toun
A town, a hamlet, a farm.
Toy
An old-fashioned cap for women.
Trews
Trousers.
Trindling
Rolling.
Trow
Believe, suppose.
Tuilzie
A quarrel.
Tume
Toom, empty.
Turnspit doggie
A kind of dog, long-bodied and short-legged, formerly used in turning a treadmill.
Twa
Two.
Tyke
A dog, a snarling fellow.
Unco
Strange, very.
Unkenn’d
Unknown.
Unsonsy
Unlucky.
Usquebaugh
Whiskey.
Vivers
Victuals.
Wa’
Wall.
Wad
Would.
Wadset
A deed conveying property to a creditor.
Wain
A wagon; to remove.
Walise
A portmanteau, saddlebags.
Wan
Won.
Wanchancy
Unlucky.
Ware
Spend.
Weel
Well.
Weising
Inclining, directing.
Wha
Who.
Whar
Where.
What for
Why.
While syne
A while ago.
Whiles
Sometimes.
Whilk
Which.
Whin
A few.
Whingeing
Whining.
Winna
Will not.
Wiske
Whisk, brandish.
Yate
Gate.