Sayings

Post by **Jean Jeanie** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 9:33 pm

Hi All

I have the transcript of a trial in 1844(found in the National Archives of Scotland) relating to the stabbing and cutting of my husband's ggg grandfather's sister!

She was wearing a "mutch" on her head when she was attacked. She was in bed at the time of the attack. So I presumed it was a type of headgear worn by women when they went to bed. A kind of old fashioned hair net!!??!!

Jean

pinkshoes · Post by **pinkshoes** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 9:40 pm

This one slipped out the other day when I was relating a story about a "glaikit" colleague - "he wiz gaun aboot like a hauf shut knife". For sure that was my mother's words coming out of my mouth!!

Another one she favoured to describe the less bright among us was " he's lik' a goat lookin' through mist" - that conjures up a fantastic picture for me!

Don't think the censors will let me away with this one, so I'll disguise it - another of my mum's, though I have to say apart from this one saying I never heard her swear in her life - she used to say of something that had little chance of working - "it's like paddy when he s**t on the ice, it'll be a fire when it kindles". (No offence to anyone intended).

Now tomorrow when I go to work among my southern colleagues I'll be accused of sounding "Scottish". As if I'm ever anything else.

Oh I love these, especially the long forgotten ones that pop out spontaneously!

Best wishes
Pinkshoes

mistral · Post by **mistral** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 11:14 pm

Andrew, you don't know what you started when you posted your mother's New Year remark!!!

Did a Google and found this website which shows some women wearing mutches!!!

http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/education/ ... s/src5.jsp

Another favourite one that my grandmother, mother and aunts frequently came out with was "It's a sair fecht" meaning that life was very hard, I suppose. I do tend to use this quite a lot myself although I have to admit my life is a lot less hard than my grandmother's!!

Rach · Post by **Rach** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:08 pm

This was one of my mother's sayings about anyone who tried to appear better off than others - "Fur coat and nae drawers".

Post by **joette** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:34 pm

One i used today which was a fav of my Grandpa's
"He/she will need a Phillidelphia Lawyer to sort that one out"
My English colleagues were stumped on that one.I presume it refers to the Declaration of Independence.?
"The wean's a bit "hangy" Doctor"
I used to hear that a lot when working at Yorkhill.Refers to a child being unwell with no obvious symptoms.

Post by **paddyscar** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:08 pm

Joette - My mother used the Philadelphia lawyer one as well.

from http://wordsmith.org/awad

- A shrewd lawyer, expert at exploiting legal technicalities.

It can have positive or negative implications depending on whether it refers to a lawyer who's for or against us. The term also refers to any person who manipulates or clouds the facts. The phrase originally refered to Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton who set the precedent of free speech in the U.S.:
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/project ... enger.html

Frances

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:10 pm

Hi Joette

Mentioning hospitals got me thinking about the times when I acted as translator - and not just for our overseas doctors.
The patient with an infected finger might describe the pain as 'stounin'.
A pain which came and went but never quite subsided would classify it as 'loupin', and a deep, uncomfortable ache which built up was 'gowpin'.
Doctors from foreign parts like Milngavie and Newton Mearns would turn to me and ask "What is he/she saying Nurse?"
((For non-Glaswegians Mulguy and the Mearns were the affluent parts of Glasgow) and I was working in Paisley at the time.

Russell

AnnieMack · Post by **AnnieMack** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:56 pm

http://members.tripod.com/clan_donnacha ... thing.html

Jean this web site gives more information about clothing and tells you what a mutch is.

Annie

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:06 pm

"And there's more"

I just noticed (mentally that is !) that while we have a phrase for many different situations we also have lots of phrases for one particular situation
Namely inebriation.

Fu’ as a wilkie
Drunk as a puggy
P***ed as a newt
Stottin drunk
Legless

Is our linguistic legacy related about 50% to our national product

Russell

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 7:38 pm

Russell wrote:"And there's more"

I just noticed (mentally that is !) that while we have a phrase for many different situations we also have lots of phrases for one particular situation
Namely inebriation.

Fu’ as a wilkie
Drunk as a puggy
P***ed as a newt
Stottin drunk
Legless

Is our linguistic legacy related about 50% to our national product

Russell

Somewhere on the www you will finding a listing of Scottish words for the "condition" involved that start with every letter of the alphabet

David

TalkingScot.com

Sayings

Mutch