Idioms

Idioms are distinctive expressions peculiar to a language whose meaning is not always determinable from their individual words. Scots is especially rich in such expressions.

A bonnie fechter.	A game chicken.
A cadger's curse.	A worthless thing.
A fiddler's biddin.	A last-minute invitation.
A kent face.	An acquaintance.
A new tout on an auld horn.	Old hat.
A tee'd baw.	A success from the start.
A thocht shame tae be seen wi him.	I was ashamed to be seen with him.
A tulchan.	A stuffed shirt.
A wad liefer dae this as that.	I would rather do this than that.
A'll gar ye claw whaur it's no yeukie.	I'll give you what for.
A'll see day aboot wi ye.	I'll be even with you.
A'm no that faur ben wi him.	I'm not so familiar with him.
A s' warrand.	I'll bet, I'll be bound.
Abuin yer feet.	Beyond one's means.
Aff the fang.	Not in the mood.
Aff the gleg.	Off the mark.
Ahint the haund.	In arrears, after the event.
Aks a blissin.	Say grace.
Are ye throu?	Are you finished?
Are you takkin me on? (tak on)	Are you pulling my leg?
As weel suin as syne.	The sooner the better.
At the hinder end.	In the long run.
Atween the wind an the waw.	In dire poverty.
Auld claes an parritch.	Routine.
Auld in the horn.	Astute.
Aw ae oo.	All the same, birds of a feather.
Aw yer pith.	With all one's energy.
Aw the airts.	All localities or directions.
Awa tae fremd.	Gone away from home.
Awbody's body.	A sycophant, a sail trimmer.
Aye til the fore.	Still be around (alive).
Be at ae wird.	Stick to one's word.
Be at the knag and the widdie.	Be at loggerheads.
Be at twa.	Be at variance.
Be daein wi't.	Be content with it.
Be in the wey o.	Be in the habit of.
Beck an bou.	Curry favour.
Better suin as syne.	Better sooner than later.
Birl the wilkies.	Turn somersault.
Bou yer hoch.	Sit down.
By his wey o't.	According to him.
Cadgers is aye crackin on creuk saidles.	Always talking shop.
Cauf kintra.	Native district.
Caw cannie.	Proceed carefully.
Caw the crack.	Chat.
Caw yer gird.	Do one's thing.
Chowk for jowl.	Side by side.
Cleek in wi.	Associate with.
Cock the wee finger.	Have a tipple (drink).
Come (back) wi the blind cairier.	Return only after a long time.
Cowp somebody's hurl.	Upset someone's plans.
Crap an ruit.	Entirely.
Creep in / oot.	Shortening / lengthening of daylight.
Creash the luif.	bribe.
Crouse in the craw.	Confident in speech.
Cry parley-fummle.	Ask for a truce.
Dance yer lane.	Jump for joy.
Dee a fair strae daith.	Die a natural death.
Dort at...	Over nurse.
Doun the stank.	Down the drain.
Dree yer weird.	suffer one's fate.
Droun the miller.	Put too much water in the whisky.
Faw oot on...	loose ones temper with...
Feel black affrontit.	Feel deeply ashamed.
First come, first serred.	First come is first served.
Flee laich.	be unambitious.
Flee laich, flee lang.	Fly low, fly long.
For ance an aye.	For ever.
Gae til the bent.	Abscond.
Gae-lattin.	Letting-go. Bankruptcy
Gang agley.	Go astray.
Gang an whistle on yer thoum.	Go and chase yourself.
Gang ance eerant.	Go for that alone. (specially for that purpose)
Gang doun the brae.	To deteriorate in health or circumstances.
Gang hail-heidit for.	Be absolutely engrossed in.
Gang the messages.	Do the shopping
Gang til the gate.	Be ruined.
Gat the bree o't.	Bore the brunt of it.
Gaupin like a raw gorb.	Gaping like an unfledged bird.
Get laldie.	Get a beating.
Get amends o.	Get one's own back.
Get intae...	Get familiar with...
Get on the crack wi.	Start a conversation with.
Get yokit tae.	Get started with / married to.
Gie's yer crack.	Give me your news.
Glack yer mittens.	Grease one's palm.
Guid gear in smaw bouk.	Much in little.
Hae an ee til.	Have a liking for.
Hae yer ain adae.	Have one's hands full.
Hae nae brou o this.	Have no liking for this.
Haud yer wheesht.	Be silent.
Haud the cuddie reekin.	Keep the pot boiling.
Haud tryst.	Keep one's word.
Haund for nieve.	Abreast.
Her tongue wad clip cloots.	She has a sharp tongue.
Hing the lugs.	Mope.
Hingin in the brecham.	Pulling one's weight.
His/her breid's baken.	He's / she's arrived, made the grade.
Hyne (faur) awa.	Far away, at a great distance.
Hyne til/tae...	As far as, to the distance of.
Ilka body daesna hae the like o that.	Not everyone has that sort of thing.
Ilka hicht haes its howe.	Every height has it's hollow.
Ill comes upo waur's back.	It never rains it pours.
In room o.	In place of.
In the wey o.	About to.
It winna pottie.	It won't wash.
It'll cost ye a bonnie penny.	It'll cost you a lot.
It's a gey while nou.	It's a fairly long time ago now.
It's a tee'd baw.	It's all cut and dry, It's all sewn up.
It's drappin suit.	Walls have ears.
It's mony a needless preen ye hae pitten in.	You needn't have taken so much trouble to dress up.
It's weel wared on him.	It serves him right.
Jock Tamson's bairns.	Common humanity.
Jouk an lat the jaw gang by.	Duck and let the splash go past.
Juist aw the like o thae things.	Just all that sort of thing.
Juist that.	Quite so.
Kaim yer hair backarts.	Annoy one.
Kist o whistles.	A pipe organ.
Lad o pairts.	Talented youth.
Lang mey yer lum reek.	Live long and healthy.
Lat at...	Attack...
Lat his ain wand ding him.	Let him stew in his own juice.
Lat licht.	Let it be known. Disclose a fact.
Lat sit.	Leave alone or leave off
Lat that flee stick til the waw.	Drop a particularly embarrassing subject.
Lat the bairns fend for thairsels.	Let the children look after themselves.
Leein like a horse cowper.	lying like a horse-dealer.
Lief is me on...	I am fond of...
Like a hen on a het girdle.	To be on tenterhooks.
Like a set mill.	At a standstill.
Like a slung-stane.	Like a bolt from the blue.
Like yer meat.	Well-fed looking.
Like wha but him.	As bold as brass.
Made up wi.	Pleased with.
Mak a kirk or a mill o't.	Make or mar it.
Mak saut tae yer kail.	Earn a living.
Mak wey o anesel.	Commit suicide.
Mebbe ay an mebbe umhum.	Perhaps yes and perhaps doubtful.
Mony wirds, muckle drouth.	Much talking makes one thirsty.
Muckle guid mey it dae ye.	Much good may it do you.
Nae faurer gane nor...	As recently as...
Nae great cowp.	Not much worth.
Naither eechie nor ochie.	Neither one thing or another.
Naither tae dance nor haud the caunle.	To stand on the sidelines.
No able for.	Having no appetite, incapable of.
No sae deif as he lats on.	Not as deaf as he pretends.
No weel.	Unwell.
O that ilk.	Of the same name.
On the heid o.	Occupied with.
Oot o thocht.	Beyond belief.
Pit his gas at a peep.	Show him in an unflattering light.
Pit on a sair face.	Look sorry for one's self.
Pit oot yer ee.	Put one's nose out of joint.
Pith o hemp.	Hangman's rope.
Pease brose an pianaes.	A state of genteel poverty.
Play Jock Needle Jock Preen.	Play fast and loose.
Plunk the schuil.	Play truant.
Raise the tuin.	Start the tune.
Rax somebody's craig.	Hang someone.
Redd the thrapple.	Clear the throat.
Redd yer crap.	Get it off your chest.
Rin wuid.	Go mad.
Sae black's a slae.	As black as a sloe.
Sae boss's a baurel.	As empty as a barrel.
Sae broun's a berry.	As brown as a berry.
Sae cantie as a sou amang glaur.	As happy as a pig in the mud.
Sae fou as a piper.	As drunk as a piper.
Sae plain as parritch.	As clean as crystal.
Sae teuch's a widdie.	As tough as a withy.
Sae eith as kiss ma luif.	As easy as winking.
Saut somebody's brose.	Get revenge.
Set doun the barrae.	Failed in business.
She's better nor she's bonnie.	She's better than she's pretty.
She's her mither's t'ae ee.	She's the apple of her (mother's) eye.
Smaw fowk.	People of humble rank.
Smilin like a bylt haddie.	Smiling like a boiled haddock.
Souk in wi.	Ingratiate oneself with.
Speak pan-laif.	Talk with an affected English accent.
Staund like a stoukie.	Rooted to the spot.
Staund yont.	Keep one's distance.
Steek yer hert.	Harden one's heart.
Tae hae a guid conceit o yersel.	To have a good opinion of one's self.
Tak a notion o.	Develop a liking for.
Tak a rise oot o.	Make fun off.
Tak a tellin.	Heed a warning.
Tak yer wird again.	Change one's tune.
Tak ower the coals.	Call to account.
Tak something ill oot.	Be upset about something.
Tak tent.	pay attention.
Tak the bit an the buffet.	Swallow one's pride.
Tak the dorts /dods.	Sulk.
Tak the hert.	Affect deeply.
Tak the lend o.	Make a fool of.
Tak the rue.	Feel remorse, Have second thoughts.
That liddit his mill.	That shut him up.
That pat his gas at the peep.	That shut him up.
That pat the branks on him.	That cut him down to size / shut him up.
That'll niver craw in yer crap.	You'll never smell that.
That's gey naur the bit.	That's nearly right.
The common five-aichts.	The average man.
The stang o the trump.	The life and soul of the affair.
The unco guid.	The self righteous.
The while back.	For some time past.
The're a bee in his bunnet.	There is a bee in his bonnet.
Thare wis naither tap, tail nor main til't.	I couldn't make head nor tail of it.
Thare's a drap in the hoose.	Walls have ears.
Thare's a whaup in the raip.	There's a snag.
Thare's ma thoum on that.	Let shake hands on it.
Think anesel nae sheep's shank.	Consider oneself of no small importance.
This side o time.	In this world.
Trail the poke.	Beg.
Trail the weeng.	Have an illicit love affair.
Turn the crack.	Change the subject.
Tyne the heid.	Lose one's temper.
Tyne time on.	Waste time on.
Up tae.	Equal to, able for.
Up tae hie-doe.	Approaching panic.
Wairm the lugs.	Beat the ears.
Wait on.	Wait for.
Wauk yer wits.	Sharpen one's wits.
We niver dee'd o winter yet.	We'll survive.
Weel tae.	Well on time.
Weemen's kittle cattle.	Women are ticklish people.
Whan it comes til the bit.	When the crunch comes.
Whan it comes up ma back.	When it occurs to me.
Whit ails ye at...	What do you dislike about...
Whit's yer will?	What did you say?
Win awa.	Die / leave
Win ower.	Fall asleep.
Ye needna fash yer thoum.	You needn't worry about it.

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