Scots Language Centre

Word of the week

flyting n. a scolding (match), quarrelling; a contest between poets in mutual abuse

on 30th Apr 2007

Flyting can simply denote an everyday stooshie. The Records of Elgin from 1596 record that Isobel and Margaret Tailyour were required 'to do thair repentance on Sonday nixt for thair public flyt...

howf(f) n. a favourite haunt, a meeting place, freq a public house

on 23rd Apr 2007

Howfs throughout the centuries have been places of discussion and debate, and though not always first on the Saturday night reveller's agenda, such activities are still much encouraged. As repor...

petted lip n. the expression on a sulky face (esp. of a child); a sulky mood

on 16th Apr 2007

A petted or pettit lip, a grumpy expression accompanied by a protruding lower lip, is a visual cue generally recognised as sign of disquietude and lack of contentment. Though often literal, the ...

gar v. make (a person or thing do something)

on 10th Apr 2007

Gar is perhaps most often heard in the expression 'it would gar ye grue', often said of something horrible or repellent that would 'make you shudder'. In a Scotsman article from January 2000, a ...

hotchin, hoatchin, adj. seething, infested, overrun (with); restless, eager

on 02nd Apr 2007