Word of the week

• plook n. a pimple; a boil; a swelling
• oose n. woollen fluff; fluff from cotton, etc.
• wynd n. a narrow, often winding street or lane leading off a main thoroughfare
• pruch n. goods or benefits received at work in addition to pay, perquisites

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oose n. woollen fluff; fluff from cotton, etc.

“oose n. woollen fluff; fluff from cotton, etc.”

21st August 2007

Oose has been recorded in Scottish sources since the early nineteenth century, though is probably earlier, since variants of the related adjective oosie "fluffy, furry" are found in early eighteenth-century sources. In Lindsay's The Interest of Scotland (1733) we find the following example: "Their Yarn is fully as fine as ours, but when tried by a magnifying Glass, theirs appears rough and ouzie, and of a bad Colour".
Oose is derived from the plural form of the word "oo", the Scots equivalent of English "wool". Being "all one wool" is a Scots phrase expressing equality, as in P. Smith's Voyage o' Life (1911): "skipper and men were a' ae 'oo. They didna need tae bend and boo". Oose appears in W. D. Cocker's Poems (1932), where its more usual location is identified: "The flair has no' been soopit, Ablow the bed there's oose". John Jamieson's dictionary (1825) records that oose was used in Perthshire for a plug of cotton or silk used as a stopper for an inkpot. But the modern usage is found in many recent publications including Janice Galloway's The Trick is to Keep Breathing (1989): "Strings of oose shelter in corners, waving ghost arms. It's time I got this place clean".
Oose is one of the many Scots words that have received support through our Sponsor-a-Word scheme which raises money for the new edition of the Concise Scots Dictionary. For a minimum of twenty pounds, the sponsor receives a copy of our dictionary entries for the word, an attractive certificate, and a year's membership of Scottish Language Dictionaries. Although we receive generous support from the Scottish Arts Council, we also have to fundraise through a variety of other channels, so if you would like to help, please get in touch. Sponsored words also make rather nice, quirky gifts, so may be just the ticket for that special someone.