Scotland is a multilingual country and our colourful vocabularies affirm that - from Scottish Gaelic to the Scots language and their dialects, any formal English speaker is sure to think “what is going on here” at least once.
If that’s you then dinnae get yersel in a fankle (don’t worry) because we asked our Scotsman readers ‘what’s your favourite Scottish word’ and they gave some fantastic answers so you’ll ken just fine in future.
Tying in with ‘A Year of Conversation and the International Year of Indigenous Languages’ in 2019 the Scottish Book Trust organised a vote for ‘iconic Scots words’ as the dictionary differs that much to standard English.
That said, rest assured that Scots words like “ken” are not beyond your ken. Here are 40 of the nation’s favourite Scottish words (and sayings) as voted by our Scotsman readers - gie it a swatch (check it out!)
13. Sweltering
Not a Scots word officially but an adjective very commonly used by Scottish people when describing very hot weather. Photo: atakan via Canva Pro
14. Taps Aff
This Scottish vernacular literally means “tops off”, so if it’s sweltering outside and you want to get the best of the sun then its “taps aff” for you. Photo: FangXiaNuo via Canva Pro
15. Drookit
Following a dreich spell of weather you might find yourself all drookit and all this means is that you are “drenched”. In Lennoxtown, Scotland, we have a pub called The Drookit Dug as ‘drenched’ and ‘dog’ imagery go hand in hand. Photo: pmrcaptures via Canva Pro
16. Sitooterie
If it’s not dreich outside then make use of your sitooterie, this refers to a small building or area (like a conservatory) where you can sit outside, hence the “sit oot” which is to “sit out”. Photo: davidmartyn via Canva Pro