Scots Language Centre

Word of the week

skellum n. rogue, scoundrel, rascal

on 29th Jan 2007

Skellum is one of the many insults used by Kate of her eponymous hero husband Tam in Robert Burns' famous poem Tam o' Shanter: "She tauld thee weel thou was a skellum, A blethering, blustering, ...

agley adv., adj. awry, off the straight, oblique(ly), wrong, etc.

on 22nd Jan 2007

Agley is probably best known from the now world-famous Robert Burns quotation, "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men gang aft agley", from his poem To a Mouse (1786). In modern use it is often ...

stravaig v. roam, wander (about), travel through, etc.

on 15th Jan 2007

Stravaig is often used to describe casual or aimless wandering. A Guardian article from 2003 described Alastair Borthwick's well-known account of mountains and hills, Always A Little Further (19...

lowp v. leap, spring (to one?s feet), jump, prance, etc.

on 08th Jan 2007

Lowp, for those with an interest in pedigree, can trace its noble lineage back through medieval Scottish literature and beyond, to the Old Norse verb hlaupa, to leap. To fill out the family tree...

syne adv. since, before now, ago; next, afterwards; then, so, etc.

on 03rd Jan 2007

Syne is an extremely versatile word that can fulfil several different grammatical functions and has a range of meanings, many of which relate to time. The word has been used throughout the histo...