England is not far down south but sometimes Scotland can seem like a different planet - as our colourful expressions and accents could leave any newcomer scratching their head.
Intriguingly, this isn’t just a case of ‘slang’ or Billy Connolly-esque accents as Scotland is considered a multilingual country. Native languages like Scots, Scottish Gaelic and of course English, all come together under an array of beautiful accents and dialects.
If you’re Scottish, or have lived here, then you’ll know well that we have developed our own style when it comes to using English – and so certain words don’t mean what the Collins Dictionary says they do in the context of Scotland.
To spare you asking for translations, here are 40 everyday English words and phrases with different meanings in Scotland.
21. Hee Haw
Any person could read this and easily assume it refers to the call of a Donkey, but actually in Scotland if you're saying someone will get "hee haw" you're saying they'll get nothing. Photo: threespeedjones via CanvaPro
22. Patter
A lot of people would associate this word as the "pitter patter" of little footsteps, but in Scotland we're referring to jolly banter - having the patter with someone is having a funny chat with them. Photo: marchia via CanvaPro
23. Lug
This word can be used to refer to pulling something along, but in Scotland it just means your ear e.g., "Can you not hear me? Clean your lugs out!" Photo: bowie15 via CanvaPro
24. Humming
Scotland has a lot of words to describe things being stinky and this is just another one of them. Photo: Steven Paton/ Mcinish via Canva Pro