h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The problem with "Scots" dictionaries, is they don't take into acount the regional variations. The be properly "concise" they would have to have at least A doric version and a laalands (sp?) version. ie

"Close" a narrow passage between two buildings. Aye in Aberdeen mebbes, but where I come from, the Narrow Passage entrance to the tenement blocks ie Wally Close, a fully or partally tiled close, denoting the dweller tae be a bit posh in' nat

hx

When I go to Aberdeen, I just cannot understand what they blether on about, lol! I know a few phrases/words like fit's a dae? and quine and loon and that, but anything else? eek!

Happy birthday Private Eye!

AWA' AN' BILE YER HEID

Not referring to anyone on the list of course, merely adding a little bon mot to the generality of insult.

Ba's on the slates - gamme's a bogey = someone kicked the ball onto the roof irretrievably so the game is alas cancelled.

clamjamfrey = a mess

Ho ave goat keys!!

i.e. Oi, I am holding my thumbs up/fingers crossed such as to show I am not in the game any more

Watch that one tho. I moved from Edinburgh to Glasgow and "Keys" in one city's playground is not recognised in the others (I had the bruises to show it

"Barley" is the word on the other side of the country. Mrs V have you ever come across the book The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren where they went into playgrounds and just listened. They were able to draw maps of the UK with individual dialect words on them.

Published in the '60s I think. I don't know how the words came to mean what they do.

Close means close where I'm from. Venul means close to.

-- David, I may not be Mel Gibson, but at least I'm not Mel Smith

It was keysies in my school!

Apologies for triplicate entry. its not as if I were a civil servant or anything? ISP problems.

I've put a wee suggestion on the main discussion site for this conversation and would appreciate comments.

Now listen carefully I will say this only vunce

Vennels and closes seem to be different but as one from where I'm at, weird. But generally, closes are in the old townhouse/tenement buidings and vennels are those little tunnel thingys between houses. Confused? I don't blame you!