When you write about Scotland, as I did for my new Midnight in Scotland series, you either fall in love with the place or you’re an unfeeling eejit. Guess which category I fell into. The language itself is purely captivating. Which Scottish words charmed me most? Here are my top five. (And yes, all the example sentences could be spoken by Annie Tulloch.)
Crabbit – Grumpy, bad-tempered
“Angus MacPherson is a crabbit auld man.”
Dreich – Endless, miserable, damp, gray weather
“I’ll nae go out again on this dreich day.”
Greet – Weep
“The bairns greet whenever Grisel MacDonnell walks by.”
Blether – Idle chat
“Do ye mean to stand there havin’ a blether, or are we leavin’ sometime this century?”
Eejit – Idiot
“That eejit has more hair than sense. Aye, he’s bald. Ye heard me right enough.”
Elisa Braden 