Scottish English: English Vocabulary List

(Scottish) a child, either a son or daughter

"The bairn was fast asleep."

"The young bairn took her first steps across the living room while her parents cheered."

(Scottish) very small in size

"The baby is wee."

"The wee baby slept peacefully in her crib and her parents watched her through the baby monitor from the living room."

(Scottish) a foolish or silly person

"The numpty forgot his keys again."

"The numpty tried to pay for his shopping with an expired loyalty card and got confused."

(Scottish) bold, cheeky, or confident in a showy, sometimes reckless way

"He is gallus."

"The gallus teenager talked back to the teacher and got sent to the headmaster's office."

(Scottish) dreary, dull, or miserable weather

"The weather is dreich today."

"The dreich weather kept everyone indoors with gray skies and a persistent drizzle all day."

(Scottish) to know, be aware of, or understand

"I ken what you mean."

"I do not ken what you are trying to say because your explanation is very confusing and unclear."

(Scottish) crazy; acting wildly or unpredictably

"The dog is bammy."

"The children's behavior became quite bammy after they ate too much sugary candy at the party."

(Scottish) stinking, disgusting, or foul

"The smell is bowfing."

"The bowfing smell from the bin made her gag and she rushed outside to get fresh air."

(Scottish) unemployment office or the benefits received from it

"He signed on at the buroo."

"He signed on at the buroo every fortnight to claim his unemployment benefit payments."

(Scottish) Buckfast Tonic Wine, a strong fortified wine popular in parts of Scotland

"He spilled commotion lotion."

"After a long night out, he found himself with a bottle of commotion lotion in his hand."

(Scottish) lost, wasted, or irretrievable

"He fell down the cludgie and got wet."

"He spent his entire inheritance on silly things and watched all his money go down the cludgie."

(Scottish) strong fortified wine, typically referring to highly alcoholic or potent varieties

"He had too much electric soup."

"The bartender warned him that the electric soup was particularly strong and not for the faint of heart."

(Scottish) soccer

"He watches fitba every Saturday."

"The entire town gathered at the pub to watch the local team play fitba in the championship final."

(Scottish) a headbutt, typically delivered in a fight

"He gave him a Gorbals kiss."

"The Glasgow hardman gave the drunk a Gorbals kiss by headbutting him during the bar fight."

(Scottish) a cooperative store

"He is a member of the sosh."

"The community relied on the local sosh for affordable groceries and essential household items."

(Scottish) to speak excessively or pointlessly

"He spraffs nonsense most of the time."

"The old man tends to spraff nonsense when he has had too much to drink at the pub."

(Scottish) a sister or a girl, used affectionately

"My little titty is here."

"He affectionately called his younger sister his 'wee titty' whenever they were playing together."

(Scottish) pregnant

"He got the ball up the kyte."

"My sister announced at dinner that she is up the kyte and everyone cheered and hugged her."

(Scottish) a child

"The wane played happily."

"The moon entered its wane phase as the visible portion grew smaller each night."

(Scottish) Buckfast Tonic Wine, a strong fortified wine popular in parts of Scotland

"He drank too much wreck the hoose juice."

"The partygoers were warned not to overindulge in the wreck the hoose juice, as it was known for its potency."

(Scottish) extremely drunk or intoxicated

"She was dancing and absolutely mad with it."

"After a few too many drinks, he became completely mad with it and started singing loudly off-key."

(Scottish) to slash or cut someone with a razor

"He used a malky blade."

"The attacker threatened to malky anyone who dared to stand in his way during the robbery."

(Scottish) the school subject Modern Studies in Scotland

"He suffers from the moddies."

"She found the essays for moddies to be particularly challenging, requiring extensive research and critical analysis."

(Scottish) extremely drunk or intoxicated

"I am mortalled."

"I was mortalled when I tripped on stage in front of the whole school assembly."

(Scottish) away, not present, or off somewhere

"I am offski."

"I am offski now because I have a train to catch and I do not want to be late."

(Scottish) naked; unclothed

"The scud child ran."

"The children were running around the garden scud, enjoying the warm summer afternoon without a care."

(Scottish) to drink a large amount of alcohol

"He skite all night."

"He likes to skite a few pints after work to unwind and forget about his stressful day."

(Scottish) a handcuff

"The police used snitcher."

"The police officer quickly secured the suspect's wrists with a pair of heavy-duty snitchers."

(Scottish; plural only) shopping, groceries, or errands

"Do the messages."

"She went to the shops to pick up all the necessary messages for the week."

(Scottish) a foolish or stupid person

"You are a tube."

"Don't be such a tube; think logically before you make a foolish decision."