'In Scotland, we have
a special affection fur wer words'.
This extends to our
North-East place-names.
Lost in translation ...
'There’s nae lack of
insults - ya bawbag, eejit, tumshie, numpty, feartie, fud, galoot, heidbanger,
zoomer, nyaff, roaster, and dare to say it, teuchter. We’ve nae problems in
expressing our general disgust when something’s boggin, clatty, gantin,
hoachin, loupin, maukit, minging, boufin, howlin, honkin, or if it quite
simply, geez ye the dry boak. Similarly our contemplations on the post-dram
experience is impressive, whether we’re steamin, fleein, pished, hammered,
blootered, blottoed, goosed, guttered, rubber, para, or mad wae it.'
{I got an email from
a proof-reader recently telling me that their wonderful app had detected
several typos on this blog: most of the words above were listed as
examples. Ed.}
'Mind
your language: Scottish Government to step up promotion of Scots' - David
Jamieson
Anne Donovan: Mingin, mawkit, smeddum, uncos, garbs and some magic words fur weather
Our North-East of Scotland place-names and pronunciations can cause confusion, with no shortage to offer as examples. The Romans invaded Britain in 43AD. Forty years later they marched on ancient Caledonian granaries, full from the harvest. This action led to the first recorded battle of Scotland's colourful past - with Iron Age Picts at Mons Graupius. The battle may have taken place on the slopes of Bennachie.
As names often are, the entire region of Grampian is
the result of a mistake. In 1476 a typesetter was producing a printed edition
of Tacitus's biography of his father-in-law, the Roman Governor Agricola,
whereby he misspelt Graupians as Grampians. The region has kept the 'Grampian'
spelling ever since. The Grampians is also the name of the main belt of
mountains across Scotland, ending at its most westerly point with Ben Nevis. http://www.forviemedia.co.uk/gallery_604252.html
Places have been
established worldwide by colonists naming new settlements after a picturesque
corner of home. Take the Canadian metropolis of Calgary - the
original consists of a small village on the island of Mull off the west of
Scotland. Moscow is a hamlet in East Ayrshire.
On to North-East
place-names. Cairnbulg becomes Belger and Premnay is Auchleven, Gardenstown and
neighbour Crovie on the Moray Firth are called Gamrie and
Crivie.
Not to be confused with
Crichie (Stuartfield on SatNavs and Ordnance Survey), Geerie (Gairioch),
Finechty (Findochty), Fing in or Finan (Finzean), Fishie (Fetterangus) and
Fittie (Footdee in Aberdeen).
Fraserburgh and Peterhead are known as the Broch and
the Bloo Toon respectively. Some good folk of Garthdee delight in upsetting
their posh neighbours by referring to their own suburb as East Cults. Going
west up the Dee, you'll find the abandoned, well-named Shakkin’ Briggie which
crosses the river to Ardoe from Cults.
It's no easier for
strangers and tourists when the locals pronounce Culter as Cooter, while Cults
is never called Coots; then there's Bankry (Banchory), Abine (Aboyne), Stran
(Strachan), Creemin (Crimond) and Finnyfaul (Whinnyfold). The Turra cow is
famous but don't go looking for anything other than Turriff on a map. Both Loch
and Glen Muick are pronounced Mick, so that's easy enough. Rosehearty becomes
Rizzarty, Banff sounds like a muffled, unwanted explosion (Bumpf), and if you
think Maggieknockater (a village near Craigellachie in Banffshire) getting
abbreviated to Mathgan is a blessing, check out the Gaelic - try saying Magh an Fhucadair phonetically,
then wait for muffled laughter from those with the Gaelic nearby. By the way,
Avoch shortens to 'och'.
Place names bear
witness to perverse memories. A remote house near Alford, where swingers'
parties were held, as disclosed at the famous Garvie murder trial of 1968, is
still known as Kinky Cottage. To this day folk yell 'Dinnae shop there!'
outside the Union Street building in Aberdeen that in 1964 housed William Low's
supermarket, where the contaminated corned beef from Argentina which sparked a
typhoid epidemic was sold. I thought that my pal Shoogie had been indulging in
mindbendng substances when he said he'd bought a sarnie from 'Typhoid' and
pointed at the building, until it transpired that he had pet names for many
landmarks in the city. For example, he called a nearby pub Banished, because
Siouxsie and the Banshees split up there in September 1979, when it was The
Other Record Shop. The band was appearing for fans at the record store, their
last gig together, as it happened. "At the Capitol Theatre that night,
Siouxsie sang 'Lord's Prayer' with the Cure," Shoogie remembers fondly.
Street names in
Aberdeen reflect past trading - commodities, artisans and
countries:- Candlemakers' Lane, Wrights' and Coopers' Place, Cotton Street,
Flourmill Lane, Virginia Street, Baltic Place, Jamaica Street and Patagonia
Court spring to mind.
I'll end with some
examples of intriguing place-names, so look out for signposts to Knock and
Glass. There's at least two Twatts in Scotland, one on Orkney and the other on
Shetland. The Perthshire village of Dull is twinned with Boring in Oregon. Many places disappoint, not fulfilling the promise that their names
suggest. It was easy to find and leave Lost, for example, and I didn't go
missing in the mist when I went to what is written as Aberchirder on maps of
the Grampian area, but it is for some reason called Foggieloan by all and
sundry. I once spent a fruitless few hours in Tarty. I can't even begin to
describe what happened when I visited Backside and Brokenwind.
Additions,
corrections and explanations are welcome.
12
great Doric words and their meaning
Seventeen
funny Doric expressions
Butterfly
Rammy book review
Gaelic
blunder causes blushes as visitors to Rothesay are welcomed to Penis
Island
Q. "Where did you go on
holiday this year?" A. "Sandy Balls"
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