You might be feeling like you "cannae be bothered" this week... and every Scot knows that this is the polite way of putting it. "Cannae" is really just a contraction of "cannot". You will find this word spelled in a variety of other ways including canna, cannie, and canny.
Get to grips with their colourful Scottish expressions and phrases. But, there are some things you dinnae want to say to avoid getting on their wrong side. Follow our sound advice and you'll dodge getting told to 'haud yer wheesht' (shut up), 'get tae' (go away) or 'skedaddle aff' (leave them alone).
Sláinte is the basic form in Irish. Variations of this toast include sláinte mhaith "good health" in Irish (mhaith being the lenited form of maith "good"). In Irish, the response to sláinte is sláinte agatsa, which translates "to your health as well".
Bonnie – Bonnie means “beautiful” and it's a very useful world out here in the Scottish Highlands. The perfect way to describe our most spectacular surroundings. Dug – Dug simply means “dog” in Scottish dialect.
Why do Scottish people say ken? Because it is a Scots word, it is a verb, “to ken”, to know. It comes from the same place as “Ich kenne” (German), in the sense of “to be familiar with”.
Scots are known for pronouncing traditional words in unpredictable ways. Listen out for “yes” pronounced as “aye”, “dae” as “do” and “dinnae” as “don't“.
Scots Word of the week: CA' CANNY The earliest citation for this phrase in the Dictionaries of the Scots Language comes from John Galt's Annals of the Parish (1821): “To admonish the bride and bridegroom to ca canny”. It is defined as “to proceed warily, to be moderate”.
A drinking toast from Scotland, Slange Var means "good health" (Slainte means "Cheers"). This is a phonetic spelling of the Gaelic "Slainte Mhath" (there is one with the traditional spelling also). This is a perfect gift for Christmas, or your preferred holiday, or anytime at all.
It is very rude to jump the queue (cut in line). It is also rude to turn down a drink if someone offers you one or not to buy a round of drinks when out with a group (everyone takes turns buying drinks for everyone else in the group). You should never call a Scottish person English.
