Phrase of the Week

"a workin hand is worth a guppin o guid"

self explanatory given the meaning of guppin below

a-back   backwards or deteriorated   "his health is geen a-back this last while"

a-pace   still   "he could never be a-pace"

aafil   awful

aak   common gullimot Nickname for Westray people. All islands and parishes in Orkney have nicknames and it  is said to have derived from what they took with them to eat at the building of St Magnus Cathedral.

aal   all

aamis   deserved   "I'd wid be aamis if he fell aff his bike after that carry on"

aap   up

aboot   about   "he wis aboot ages" (he was of similar age) or "he'll likely be home aboot"

abune   above

accoutrements   Tools , harness

aest   East   "a wind fae aest is no gud tae man or baest" - "rain fae the aest is 3 days at least"

aff   off   "many a strong wind cam aff a empty stomach"

aff-takkin   sarcastic   "she wis a aafil aff-takkin kind o body"

affronted   ashamed or embarrassed   "I wis black affronted by whit he said"

afore   before or in front   "shit afore the shovel" (said like "age before beauty" when letting someone else go first)

afore   before   "a bairn man creep afore it gangs" - Scots saying

Ah   I   "Ah'm right plased ta see thee" or "Ah'll see the again" or "Ah'm been there afore"

aifter   after   "fish and visitors start tae smell aifter three days"

ain   own   "hid'll be thee ain"

ain   own   "the deels aye good tae his ain"

air or aer   little quantity   "will thoo tak a aer o' eel the night"

airt   direction   "the fire'll no vent whin the wind is fae this airt"

aisy   easy   "its aisy tae learn the cat the road tae the kirn"

alat   wrong   (ill -at)   "whit's geen alat wi thee"

amang   among   "like a speal amang porridge, little guid"

ana'   as well   "a hundred pipers ana' ana' " - song

anterin   occasional   "the lapsters are no crawlin jist noo, wir jist getting an anteran een"

apen   open   "wit never entered a head through a apen mooth" (listen instead of talking)

aquaant   aquainted    (add story later)  

arroo   pullet

arvo   chickweed

aside    beside   "come ower aside us"

ass   ash

auld   old   "auld age and poverty are hard to endure" - "thirs no fool like a' auld fool"

ava'   at all   "she has no gumption ava' "

awa   away   "the deil's awa wi the Exciseman" - Burns

aye   always   Aye waukin o,waukin aye and wearie; Sleep I canna get for thinkin o' my dearie - Burns

Ayre   isthmus?   Place name - ON. eyrr - gravelly beach, but in Orkney is applied to a narrow strip of beach between a salt-water lagoon and the sea.

ba   ball   Also the traditional ball game held in Kirkwall on Christmas and New Years Day.

baarul   barrel   "better a cog fu ar a baarul tume" - a full bowl is better that an empty barrel

back end   autumn

baes   beasts

bairns   children   "wealth can't mak them and poverty can't keep them awaie" - "the cobblers bairns are always the poorest shod"

baste   beast

bate    beaten   "that bates a' "

be (or abe)   alone   "let it be"

beshum   besom   "a new beshum aye sweeps clean" - said of new management.

big   build

birsy     bristly   "her hair wiz like a birsy dog"

blude   blood

bonnie   beautiful   "he that has a bonnie wife needs mair nor twa een"

brig   bridge

brig steens   = bridge stones, flag stones laid as pavement in front of a door.

brog   awl

buss   small bush   "better a peedie buss than no shelter"

chap   break   " ye shouldn'a chap firewid on the Sabbath"

cloot   cloth   "never cast a cloot 'till May's oot" - Scots saying

cog   wooden bowl   "I ken by me cog how me coo milked" - I know by the appearance of a thing when it has been properly done.

coom-siling   ceiling lined with boards

craa   crow (sound)   "whin the auld cock craas the young een learns"

craas   crows   "if he hidno been amang the craas he widno gotten shot at"

cruse   bold   "a cock's aye cruse on his ain midden"

cuit (or queet)   ankle   The first step that she stept in, she steppet ta the queet. - Ancient Ballad

dad   blow   "he got such a dad on the lug"

droogled   bedraggled   "he lucked like a droogled rat"

dunder   large thump   "he cam doon wi such a dunder he wiz soar for days"

dunno   don't   "thirs none so deaf as them that dunno want tae hear"

dunt   thump or blow   "never draa a sword whin a dunt'll do"  

een   one

erse   arse or bottom   "on the bones o' his erse" - living from day to day, almost broke

exe   axe

fae   from   "like something let oot fae under a tub"

faird   afraid

footer   bungler   "he aye thout Peter wis a ramish footer"

forrid   forward   "he'll no win forrid that'll no luk forrid"

gertain   garter   "ye'll get yer guts for gertains"

growe   grow   "even cat dirt can growe whiskers"

guppin   ?             the measure of what can be picked up between cupped hands. - "a workin hand is worth a guppin o guid"

I'   in   "any man can sing at night bit it takes a man tae sing I' the mornin"

ill   bad or evil   "better alone than in ill company"

ip   up

ken   know

kirkyard   churchyard   "a green Christmas makes a fat kirkyard"

kirnmilk   buttermilk   "thir's warse than a drink o' kirnmilk if yir dry"

leed   admit   or say "never leed"

leer   liar   "leers need good memories"

likit   beaten   "I wiz likit on the last green"

loot   bow   "he man loot wha has a low door"

lowe   light   with a flame "had a match tae id see if id'll lowe"

luk   look

lukkin   looking   "she wis like a goose lukkin for thunder"

lum   chimney   "it's easier tae big twa lums than keep them reekin"  also "lukkin ip the lum never filled the pot"

maet   meat or food   "a man's maet is anither man's pooshin"

maist   most or almost   "then auld guid man maist like tae rive, Bethankist hums" - Burns

maist   most   "empty barrels mak maist noise"

man   must   "I man geong home noo"

merch   boundry

mideen   midin   "if ye glower at the moon ye'll fa in the mideen"

miser   measure   "misir twice cut wancs"

Mither   Mother   "an active mither makes a lazy doughter" - "he hid a face like a mitherless foal"

muckle   big   "a peedie moose can creep under a muckle hay stack"

o'   of   "ye can't tak clean water oot o' a dirty waal"

oniwiy   anyhow   " I warno wantin ta geong oniwiy"

owld (or auld)   old

oxter   armpit   "she had a bairn under each oxter"

pairted   parted   "a fool and his money are soon pairted"

peel   bucket   "like a peel o' water waitin ta cup" - an accident waiting to happen

pig   earthenware vessel   "She that goes tae the waal wi ill will; ither the pig 'ill brak or the water 'ill spill"

pitten   put   " I don't ken whar I'm pitten id"

pokie   bag

pooshin   poison

roap   auction sale   "it’s a poor roap if the auctioneer canna speak"

seek   ask   for "go and seek a loan o' his ……"

shouldno   shouldn't   "half doone jobs fols shouldno see; 'cis fols never ken whit it might turn tae be"

shudders   shoulders    "a young dog wags his tail fae the shudders an aift"

sindry   apart   "freends are aft best sindry"

slap   wire made gate

soor   bitter

sort   arrange   "she geed ben the hoose tae sort her hair"

speels   wood shavings   "hid's no always the best wright wha leaves the maist speels"

speer   ask   "he that speers a' opinions disna mak speed"

spoot   razor shell      or general term for fizzy drink

stot   bounce

strick   bullock   "there's aye some water whar the strick droons" - Scots saying

sweenkle    ?        the sound liquid makes in a nearly full vessel

traip   argue   "traipin's no provin"

trang   busy   "Twa dogs that were na trang at hame; Foregather'd ance upon a time" - Burns

twa   two

waal   well    "you never miss the water 'till the waal runs dry"

waar   worse   (of women) - "ill tae hae and waar tae want"

wakin   awake

weel   well   "if you do yer job weel neen will spear hoo long it takes"

weemin   women   "twa tings ye canna argue wi, wire and weemin" - Shetland saying (followed by "wi persiverence ye will win wi wire")

whesht   quiet   "had thee whesht"

withershins   anti clockwise

yeld   barren   "a yeld soo wiz never good ta grice"