Scotland is known for having some of the most beautiful castles and landscapes in the world. On top of this, Scottish slang words are some of the most intriguing and fascinating in the world.
This got me thinking, which are the best Scottish slang words?
Scotland has two official languages- English and Scots (otherwise known as Scots Gaelic). English is spoken by most people, whilst Scots in mostly spoken in the Highlands. As such, much of their slang comes from English.
15. Dafty – Fool
In almost every dialect of English, there is some way of insulting someone’s intelligence, or rather, the lack thereof. In Scottish slang, this term is dafty, and is used all over Scotland.
Dafty actually has its origins with the British slang word daft. In British slang, daft means “silly” or “stupid” or “foolish”. The Scottish simply added a “y” and use it to mean the exact same thing!
You may also hear dafty be used alongside its standard English counterpart, as something like dafty fool. However, this is purely a regional thing, as well as depending on the person.
Example:
“Have you seen Arran? He’s such a dafty fool!”
14. Crabbit – Bad tempered
We all know that one guy who’s got a bit of a short fuse. He’s that one guy who always seems to take you jokes a bit too seriously, and isn’t afraid to “talk” things out, either by screaming at you, or using his fists.
So do the Scottish. In Scottish slang, they refer to these people using the adjective crabitt. Depending on the context, it can also be used as a noun, although, this is becoming increasingly more common.
The term actually originates with an old English slang term, crabbed, which has since fallen out of use. The term was common in the 18th century, meaning the same thing, and Scots liked it, but wanted to make it more Gaelic, hence crabbit.
Example:
“Is Leon coming to the party tonight?”
“Sadly, yes.”
“Oh no, he’s such a crabbit! I’ll have to keep my mouth shut!”
13. Wee – Small
Wee is perhaps the most famous Scottish slang word out there. Whenever it comes to Scottish people in popular Hollywood movies and TV shows, they always wee.
For the most part, wee is used to refer to the size of something, usually how small it is. Traditionally speaking it is used to refer to something being small in terms of height, but it can also be used to refer to someone being skinny, albeit not very often.
The term has also become quite popular in other parts of the former British Empire, mostly in Ireland, with wee becoming an integral part of Irish slang.
Example:
“I’ve got a wee kitten stuck in my tree!”
12. Haver – To talk nonsense
Have you ever met that one person who just talks complete and utter nonsense all the time? As in, you work the same job, get paid the same, yet they always tell you how much money they’re making and just general nonsense like that?
In English, we have a plethora of different words to describe this, most with some level of vulgarity. In Scottish slang, they use haver, both as a noun, verb and as an adjective!
Your friend could be a haver, talk haver and always talk about haver things that no one believes! For the most part, it’s a mild insult at best, however, depending on where you go, it may also be seen as somewhat vulgar.
Example:
“Have you seen Will?”
“Oh, I hate that guy, he’s always talking such haver!”
11. Boak – Vomit
In all the different dialects of English, with this comes hundreds of different slang terms for vomiting. Scottish English is no different, with Scottish slang having a variety of different slang terms for it, with the most famous being boak.
Literally speaking, boak has no meaning at all. As with other Scottish slang words, the term is Scots Irish in origin, having been coined by Scots in Northern Ireland before being brought back to Scotland.
It is commonly used by people who go partying a lot to mean “vomiting” or, more colloquially “puking”. In recent years, it has become quite popular being used by adults and children alike.
Example:
“Oh no, I’ve had too much to drink.”
“Just breathe, I don’t want you to boak all over my nice new shoes!”
10. Glaikit – Gullible
Have you ever met that one person who is so stupid, they’d believe quite literally anything you told them? Well, you aren’t alone, so have the Scottish, and they’ve even developed their own slang term for this: glaikit.
Someone who’s glaikit would fall for just about anything. You tell them you’re actually Superman, and they’ll genuinely believe it. You tell them that you once travelled to the year 1776 and met George III, they’d believe you.
To most people, glaikit is seen as a mild insult, usually one you’d use to poke fun at someone with. However, it is becoming increasingly seen, especially by younger generations are a much ruder insult, being replaced with words like gullible.
Example:
“Have you met Simon, he’s a real genius, if you get what I mean?”
“Yes, I have, he’s a complete glaikit isn’t he?!”
9. Sassenach – Southerners
For the most part, Scottish slang words come from English rather than Scots Gaelic. However, there are a few, mostly used in the Highlands of Scotland, that do indeed come from Scots Gaelic.
Perhaps the most common is Sassenach, coming from the Scots word sasunnach, which means “Saxon” (as in, Anglo-Saxons). Originally, this term was used by the Scottish to refer to their southern neighbors, the English.
However, over time, with English becoming more common in the South of Scotland in recent years, the term has also encompassed them too. As in, Scots speakers will refer to southern Scottish people as Sassenachs!
Example:
“Those pesky Sassenachs keep stealing my sheep!”
8. Loon / Quine – Boy / Girl
In Canadian slang, a loon is someone who is completely mad, or it is used to describe a certain type of bird that can be seen migrating from Eurasia to North America in the summer.
However, in Scottish slang, loon used in a completely different context. Yes, it can be used to describe that same type of bird, but it is more commonly used to describe a boy, usually a boyfriend/husband or a son.
On the other end of the spectrum, there is quine. This is often used alongside loon, however, has a completely different meaning: girlfriend/wife or daughter.
Example:
“Hey Jack, are you bringing your quine with you to Rob’s party?”
“Yeah sure, why not?”
7. Yaldi! – Hooray!
For the most part, we have covered Scottish slang words used all over the country, rather than area-specific slang words. However, I’m going to break this trend with yaldi, one of the most well known Scottish words outside of Scotland.
Yaldi! has taken Scotland by storm in recent years, in particular, in Glasgow. It is used mostly to mean something like “Yay!” or “Hooray!” however, can occasionally be used to mean something like “Wow!”
There are several theories about how the term was first coined, but there isn’t any definitive proof. However, the main theory is that it is a mispronunciation of the Scottish slang term laldy, however, it isn’t definitive.
Example:
“We’re going to Disneyland!”
“Yaldi!”
6. Bonnie – Beautiful
In English, there are literally hundreds of different words to call someone attractive or pretty. Scots Gaelic similarly has a plethora of different words to mean the same thing, as does Scottish slang.
Bonnie derives from the Latin term bonus, meaning “good”. Over time, this has evolved into Scots Gaelic word bonnie, which over time has meant something like “pretty” or “attractive”, similar to bonita in Spanish.
The term has become quite common in day-to-day Scottish life. It has even become a name! It is commonly used as a dog name, especially for Scottish Terriers, as well as for both boys and girls!
Example:
“Have you seen Cumina? She’s really bonnie!”
5. Aye! – Yes!
Aye is commonly associated with the military, especially the Navy. Whilst that is a completely different set of slang, the two have both the same origin and the same meaning- the military got it from the Scots.
Scots have been trying to learn English for centuries. When they were first trying to learn it, centuries ago, they couldn’t pronounce the word “yes” correctly. Instead, they would pronounce it as aye.
Over time, this has become part of a Scottish person’s vocabulary, as it’s easier than saying “yes”. This has even become part of most Northern English people’s dialects, with them having borrowed it from the Scottish.
Example:
“Hey Scott, are you coming to Jessica’s party on Sunday?”
“Aye. Wouldn’t miss it for the world!”
4. Wellies – Wellington boots
Wellington boots are some of the most famous footwear to come out of the UK. They also happen to be extremely common in Scotland, especially in rural areas. So there’s no surprise when you think that they have their own slang terms!
In the 19th century, Wellington boots became quite popular with the middle and upper classes. Many people in Scotland in the middle class soon began to wear them, and eventually began calling them wellies for simplicity.
In the UK especially, this is the name most people will know them by!
Although not derived from Scots Gaelic, this term is especially common in the Highlands, being one of the few English-origin Scottish slang words used there. With it being English in origin, it is also used in the UK too.
Example:
“It’s raining outside, I’m going to need my wellies!”
3. Gyro – Cheap
As with most other people, the Scottish regularly see certain things as being extremely cheap and/or tacky. The Scottish have arguably taken this further, having its own slang term for it!
In English, gyro is either a Greek dish, or an abbreviation of the word gyrocopter or gyroscope. However, in Scottish slang, gyro means “cheap” or “tacky”. It is also used to describe benefits checks from the government.
Depending on what part of Scotland you go to, you may also see it spelled as giro. This is in honor of the origin of the term- Girobank, who used to deliver all of Scotland’s welfare (benefits) payments.
Example:
“Hey Helen, did you get your giro yet?”
“Yes, I got it on Friday!”
2. Eejit – Idiot
Have you ever had someone who is really, and I mean really stupid? But it’s also a bit more than stupid, it’s also an annoying stupid. So have the Scottish, and they have several words to describe someone like that, including eejit.
The word eejit actually originates with its Standard English meaning. Eejit is simply the Glasgow area’s pronunciation of the English insult “Idiot” and has been used for centuries, with the 1950’s standardizing the current spelling.
Due to many Scottish people living in England, and vice-versa, eejit has become fairly well used in the rest of the UK. This is especially common in areas of the UK with lots of military bases.
Example:
“Have you seen Gary, he’s being such an eejit at the moment”
1. Honkin’ – Bad smell
I’m sure that at one point in your life, you’ve walked into a room and smell the most horrendous smell you’ve ever smelled in your entire life. In Scottish slang, you’d describe that smell as honkin’.
Literally, honkin’ derives from the term honking, to make a honk, which once meant to make a bad smell. For the rest of the English language, this has fallen out of use, just not in Scotland, hence honkin’.
In recent years, the usage of the term has become more broad, thanks to American slang. Whilst it is still primarily used to describe a bad smell, it can also mean a great big mess. This mess usually involves a rather bad smell as well.
Example:
“Errr… What’s that honkin’ smell? It’s awful!”
Which are your favorite Scottish slang words? Tell me in the comments!