frei

head

frei (comparative freier, superlative freiist)

freier (comparative)
freiist (superlative)


brick

Make shair ee deh brick yon vase!

Make sure he doesn't break that vase over there!

Southern Scots form of brak (“to break”)


saw

Central and some Southern Scots dialects

(Southern Scots) simple past tense of sei


spin

(Southern Scots) Alternative form of spuin


nut

(Southern Scots) no; used to show disagreement or negation.


sei

sei (third-person singular simple present seis, present participle seiin, simple past saw, past participle seen)

seis (present singular third-person)
seiin (participle present)
saw (past)
seen (participle past)

Div ee sei yon hoose ower there?


ei

(Southern Scots, personal) he (alternative form of hei)


eet

Ee cin tell is aa aboot eet later.

(Southern Scots) it in the object case, or as the complement of ti be

Dis eet say si?

(Southern Scots) the form of it which is used after an inversion


yeh

Jist the yeh for mei, ta.

(Southern Scots) Alternative form of ae (“one”)


hatter

hatter (third-person singular simple present hatters, present participle hatterin, simple past hattered, past participle hattered)

hatters (present singular third-person)
hatterin (participle present)
hattered (past)
hattered (participle past)

(Southern Scots) to bother; to get someone worked up


like

From Old English līcian (“to be pleasing”).

Oo jist saw it the now, like.

(Southern Scots) Used to place emphasis upon a statement.


dei

dei (third-person singular simple present deis, present participle deiin, simple past deid, past participle deed)

deis (present singular third-person)
deiin (participle present)
deid (past)
deed (participle past)

From Middle English die, from Old Norse deyja.


gaan

gaan (third-person singular simple present gaans, present participle gaan, simple past went or wett, past participle been)

gaans (present singular third-person)
gaan (participle present)
went (past)
wett (past)
been (participle past)

From Old English gān (“to go”). An alternative (and arguably more phonetically neutral; see the pronunciations given) spelling of gan or gaun.

Where div ee hink ee'r gaan at this time o night?

Where do you think you're going at this time of night?


fer

fer (comparative ferther, superlative ferthest)

ferther (comparative)
ferthest (superlative)


lei

lei (third-person singular simple present leis, present participle leiin, simple past leid, past participle leid)

leis (present singular third-person)
leiin (participle present)
leid (past)
leid (participle past)

(Southern Scots) Alternative form of lee.


hoy

hoy (third-person singular simple present hoy, present participle hoyin, simple past hoyed, past participle hoyed)

hoy (present singular third-person)
hoyin (participle present)
hoyed (past)
hoyed (participle past)


grund

From Middle English ground, from Old English grund.


stap

stap (third-person singular simple present staps, present participle stappin, simple past stappeet, past participle stappeet)

staps (present singular third-person)
stappin (participle present)
stappeet (past)
stappeet (participle past)

Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewb- (“to push, stick”).

der

(Southern Scots) to push (something into something); to force (something into something)


streek

head

streek (third-person singular simple present streeks, present participle streekin, simple past streekit, past participle streekit)

streeks (present singular third-person)
streekin (participle present)
streekit (past)
streekit (participle past)

Fower hunder horsemen in yeh streekit line.


yow

Uncertain; most likely from Old English ēow.


deh

A deh ken what ee mean!

example is in South Scots; "what" would be replaced by "whit" or "fit" and "ee" with "ye" in other Scots dialects

(Southern Scots, Edinburgh, Northern Scots) don't


feucht

(Southern Scots) simple past tense of fecht


pei

(Southern Scots) a pea (in Roxburghshire)


kei

Variant spelling of kye, from Old English cǣg.


wuz

(Southern Scots) simple past tense of be


ower

If ee gaun ower the hill ee'll sei eet.

If he gone over the hill, he will see it.


ower

That's ower much for mei, like!


bowk

From Old Scots bolk (“to belch”). Cognate with Geordie bowk and General Scots boak (but does not have quite the same meaning).


bowk

bowk (third-person singular simple present bowks, present participle bowkin, simple past bowkt, past participle bowkt)

bowks (present singular third-person)
bowkin (participle present)
bowkt (past)
bowkt (participle past)


wett

A wett oot afore, bit no for ower long.

(Southern Scots) simple past tense of gan


bowkin

bowkin (comparative mair bowkin, superlative maist bowkin)

mair bowkin (comparative)
maist bowkin (superlative)

(Southern Scots) awful; bad; terrible; (literally nausea-inducing)


hyim

Cognate with Northumbrian English hyem, from Old English hām. See also hame.

A hink A'm ga'i be gan hyim sin.


nowts

(Southern Scots) naught, nothing (alternative form of nowt).


yow yins

(Southern Scots) Second-person plural pronoun; you; you lot (but without pejorative implications).


awfi

awfi (comparative mair awfi, superlative awfist)

mair awfi (comparative)
awfist (superlative)

The weather's awfi, inteet?


awfi

That's awfi guid!


awfih

awfih (comparative mair awfih, superlative maist awfih)

mair awfih (comparative)
maist awfih (superlative)

(Southern Scots) Variant spelling of awfi.


ther

Could ee clean ther wundihs for is?


sieven

(Southern Scots) Alternative form of seiven


eit

(Southern Scots) eight (note pronunciation)


platchin

platchin (comparative mair platchin, superlative maist platchin)

mair platchin (comparative)
maist platchin (superlative)

From Old English plæsc (*plæscende if it existed).

A'm fair platchin!


dae

dae (third-person singular simple present dis, simple past did)

dis (present singular third-person)
did (past)

A div sei what ee'r on aboot! (South Scots)

(Southern Scots, Doric Scots) indicates an affirmation of something


nuhin

Ah look aboot the caravan fur inspiration but nuhin is jumpin oot at me.

2018, Chris McQueer, HWFG, 404 Ink, published 2018, page 23:


whae

Whae dar meddle wi mei?


wur

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.


is't

What time is't?


wus't

How guid wus't?

(Southern Scots) Contraction of wuz eet (was it)


twol

(Southern Scots) Alternative form of twal


divvent

Cognate with Geordie (English dialect) divint.

Ee div ken what A'm on aboot, divvent ee?


throwe

(Southern Scots) through (note pronunciation)


onti'd

A pit ma cup onti'd.

(Southern Scots) onti eet (i.e. onto it)


wi'd

Hei ca deal wi'd umsel.


thaim

(Southern Scots, personal, emphatic) third-person plural pronoun; them. Compare non-emphatic pronoun them (/ðəm/).


dizzent

John dis hev a doag, dizzent eh?


o'd

Ee hennae seen aa o'd yet.


wud

(Southern Scots) would (uncommon variant of wad)


eiteen

(Southern Scots) eighteen (note pronunciation)


eity

(Southern Scots) eighty (note pronunciation)


ga'i

Ir ee ga'i dae the washin?

(Southern Scots) gan (or gaun) ti (i.e. go to or going to)


heh'i

A div heh'i gaun oot the morn, divvent A?


thoosind

(Southern Scots) thousand (used with "a" in the same way as English to denote 1000)


wa'i

Div ee wa'i dae that or no?

(Southern Scots) want (or watt) ti (i.e. want to)


wuddent

Ee wad dae that, wuddent ee?


wudden

Ee wad dae that, wudden ee?


wudden

head

wudden (comparative mair wudden, superlative maist wudden)

mair wudden (comparative)
maist wudden (superlative)


wunnae

A wunnae be oot the night.


flei

flei (third-person singular simple present fleis, present participle fleiin, simple past flew, past participle flown)

fleis (present singular third-person)
fleiin (participle present)
flew (past)
flown (participle past)


whae's

Whae's that?


howfin

howfin (comparative mair howfin, superlative maist howfin)

mair howfin (comparative)
maist howfin (superlative)

(Southern Scots) awful; bad; terrible; (literally nausea-inducing)


pey

(Southern Scots) a pea (in Roxburghshire)


caa'd

What did ee caa'd?


yelli

yelli (comparative mair yelli, superlative maist yelli)

mair yelli (comparative)
maist yelli (superlative)

yelli:


bleck

bleck (comparative blecker, superlative bleckest)

blecker (comparative)
bleckest (superlative)

bleck:


derk

derk (comparative derker, superlative derkest)

derker (comparative)
derkest (superlative)


efternin

What's gaun on this efternin?


finnd

finnd (third-person singular simple present finnd, present participle finndin, simple past fund, past participle fund)

finnd (present singular third-person)
finndin (participle present)
fund (past)
fund (participle past)


peshed

peshed (comparative mair peshed, superlative maist peshed)

mair peshed (comparative)
maist peshed (superlative)

(Southern Scots) very drunk (a variant of pished)


Pesh

(Southern Scots) a rector or headmaster, particularly the Rector of Hawick High School


chowk

chowk (third-person singular simple present chowks, present participle chowkin, simple past chowkeet, past participle chowkeet)

chowks (present singular third-person)
chowkin (participle present)
chowkeet (past)
chowkeet (participle past)

Deh chowk on eet!


streetch

streetch (third-person singular simple present streetches, present participle streetchin, simple past streetched, past participle streetched)

streetches (present singular third-person)
streetchin (participle present)
streetched (past)
streetched (participle past)


mitter

It's an awfi mitter.


mitter

mitter (third-person singular simple present mitters, present participle mitterin, simple past mittert, past participle mittert)

mitters (present singular third-person)
mitterin (participle present)
mittert (past)
mittert (participle past)

Dis eet mitter?


chirry

Chirries growe on chirry treis.


wadna

In the New Forest, 1847, THE OUTLAW Oh, I wadna be a yeoman, mither, to follow my father's trade, To bow my back in miry banks, at pleugh and hoe and spade.

1852, Charles Kingsley, Andromeda and Other Poems:

--O Tibbie, I hae seen the day, Ye wadna been sae shy; For laik o' gear ye lightly me, But, trowth, I care na by.

1780, Robert Burns, Poems And Songs Of Robert Burns:

I would fain carry it mysel', but they wadna let me."

1832, Various, The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 20,:


feuchten

feuchten (comparative mair feuchten, superlative maist feuchten)

mair feuchten (comparative)
maist feuchten (superlative)


streend

(Southern Scots) Alternative form of streen


streend

streend (third-person singular simple present streends, present participle streendin, simple past streendit, past participle streendit)

streends (present singular third-person)
streendin (participle present)
streendit (past)
streendit (participle past)


agean

(Southern Scots) Alternative form of again


yible

yible (comparative mair yible, superlative maist yible)

mair yible (comparative)
maist yible (superlative)


alsae

From Middle Scots alswa, alsua, from Early Scots allswa, from Old English ealswā (“just like, also”), from Proto-West Germanic *allswā, equivalent to a' + sae. Cognate with Saterland Frisian also (“accordingly, therefore, thus”), West Frisian alsa (“so, just so, even so, thus”), Old Saxon alsō (“similarly, as if, just as, when”), Dutch alzo (“so, thus”), German also (“so, thus”), Danish altså (“so”), Norwegian Bokmål altså (“so, therefore, accordingly, thus”), Norwegian Nynorsk altso (“so, accordingly, therefore, thus”), Swedish alltså (“so, therefore, accordingly, thus, then”). Doublet of as. More at all, so.