Scotland is a multilingual country and our colourful vocabularies affirm that - from Scottish Gaelic to the Scots language and their dialects, any formal English speaker is sure to think “what is going on here” at least once.
If that’s you then dinnae get yersel in a fankle (don’t worry) because we asked our Scotsman readers ‘what’s your favourite Scottish word’ and they gave some fantastic answers so you’ll ken just fine in future.
Tying in with ‘A Year of Conversation and the International Year of Indigenous Languages’ in 2019 the Scottish Book Trust organised a vote for ‘iconic Scots words’ as the dictionary differs that much to standard English.
That said, rest assured that Scots words like “ken” are not beyond your ken. Here are 40 of the nation’s favourite Scottish words (and sayings) as voted by our Scotsman readers - gie it a swatch (check it out!)
33. Shoogle
If you’ve got a Christmas present that you’re not allowed to open yet and you’re curious then why not give it a shoogle? This means to give it a shake. Photo: Studia72 via Canva Pro
34. Dwam
Ever had your eyes open but your mind is a million lightyears away? Chances are you entered a “dwam” which is a state of semi-consciousness like daydreaming. Photo: Gustavo Fring via Canva Pro
35. Doocot
Defined by some as a “small closet or cupboard” if someone asks you to bung something in the doocot it refers to a small pocket to store something into. Photo: Vadym Plysiuk via Canva Pro
36. Baltic
Just like the temperature of the Baltic Sea, to feel baltic is to feel extremely cold so if you do then wrap yourself up. Photo: BrianAJackson via Canva Pro