E for Eejit

"Eejit"

Pronunciation: ee·jit

Definition :  n. idiot, simpleton, one not possessed of all their mental faculties; one who is unable to properly conduct their own affairs.

Usage :  I'm no lettin' Rab borrow my fucking XBOX!  That eejit ill wreck it! 

Translation: The ring of death on my XBOX left me with fuck all else to do. 

Origin : Made popular by Brian Friel's "Translations".

Pretty and picturesque, Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and seat of the Scottish Parliament and Government. Located in the south-east of Scotland, on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth.  Home to the annual and infamous Edinburgh Festival.

Each August the city hosts the biggest annual international arts festival in the world.  This includes the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Other festivals are held throughout the year, such as the Science Festival, Film Festival and Jazz and Blues Festival. Other annual events include the brilliant Hogmanay Street Party and Beltane.

Edinburgh

The YouTube Eejit Show

 

D is for Dreich

"Dreich"

Pronounced : dre-eech

Definition:  adj. drab, dreary often referring to the weather or a sermon.  Dreich often leads to a state of being drookit;  grey.

Usage :  Aye, pishin' o' rain again, Jimmy. The weather is always dreich 'n drookit in Ayrshire.  

Translation : It's so cold in Scotland that even the local flasher was forced to "describe" himself.

Origin: Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse drjūgr lasting.  First Known Use: 1813.


Adorable wee Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire.

Dumfries

 How fucking cute is this?

C is for Crabbit

"Crabbit"

Pronounced: crab-it

Definition: Old Scottish slang for grumpy, ill-tempered or miserable or a person who doesn't watch Conan O'Brien (just kidding - kinda).  One who by their nature or temperament conveys an aura of irritability.

Fir jis 5 Quid!

Usage: Don't bite ma head af ye crabbit old bitch!

Translation :  Please do not speak with such poisonous anger.

Origin: The earliest known use of the word is in connection with inheritance. Ane crabbit - 2 shillings.

The Cairngorms are a mountain range in the eastern Highlands of Scotland closely associated with the mountain of the same name—Cairn Gorm.   This mountain range is famous for its fucking rockin skiing and winter resorts.

A funicular railway opened here in late 2001, running from a base station at 637 metres up to the Ptarmigan Centre, situated at 1097 metres, 150 metres from the summit of Cairn Gorm. It was built amidst some controversy, with supporters of the scheme claiming that it would bring valuable tourist income into the area, whilst opponents argued that such a development was unsuitable for a supposedly protected area.




The Cairngorms

Another funny guy

B is for Blether

Today's Scottish slang word is :

"Blether"

Pronounced: ble-thir

Definition :  n. person who chatters incessantly; one who babbles on and on.  verb - to engage in long-winded idle conversation 

Usage : That daft lassie cannie fekkin shut up, she's an awfy blether!

Translation:  Women must use twice as many words as men, because we have to repeat everything we say.

And in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland is Balmoral Castle, near the village of Crathie.  

Gorgeous innit?

Soon after the estate was purchased the existing house was found to be too small. It was demolished, and the current Balmoral Castle was completed in 1856. The architect was William Smith of Aberdeen, although his designs were amended by Prince Albert. The castle is an example of Scots Baronial architecture, and is classified by Historic Scotland as a category A listed building.  

Imagine playing footie on that lawn?

Braw Balmoral

One of my favourite comedians Billy Connolly

 

Go and visit some of the other A to Z Challenge Participants.

Och Aye....I mean, A

So my lovely Plonkers, today the 2013 A to Z Blog Challenge begins!  How exciting is this.  A much-anticipated event and bigger blog hope in Bloggerville.

Just a wee reminder on how it all works : One blog post daily for each letter of the alphabet during the month of April 2013, starting with the letter A.

The theme of my A to Z Blog Challenge for 2013 is “All Things Scots”.

I will be introducing you to Scottish slang words and phrases as well as Scottish traditions and beautiful places of one of the most gorgeous places under the sun.

By the end of the challenge you should have a good understanding of the Scots dialect and I may even include some daft video tutorials, aren’t you lucky fekkin bastids?

First word and one of the most often used Scottish words....

“Aye”  

Pronounced:  eye

Definition:  adverb exclamation used to give an affirmative response.  Scottish way of saying yes.

Usage:  Ya awright there Jimmy?  Aye Ah'm fine.  how's yersel?

Translation:  Good morning my dearest James and I trust that you are doing well.
Yes, I am excellent. Dare, may I ask, how are you?

Origin: Old English ā; compare Latin aevum an age, Greek aion aeon, aiei ever, always.

And now on to the Gorgeous Scottish town or city beginning with the letter A

Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 29th most populous city, with an official population estimate of 220,420. Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands. During the mid-18th to mid-20th centuries, Aberdeen's buildings incorporated locally quarried grey granite, which can sparkle like silver due to their high mica contents.  The city has a beautiful long, sandy coastline

Aberdeen