Kintyre Vernacular

[EMDEE]

I think breeks and peens are unique to South Kintyre

As in bricks and pins

That's no' the breeks for weerin' but the wans for beeldin'.

[general jack o'niell]

wulks, clabbydoos, gleshins, doos, scowders, big jim daniels

[EMDEE]

wulks, clabbydoos, gleshins, doos, scowders, big jim daniels

A lot of local dialect and words have come from or through the fishing industry.

Here's a link to a map showing the distribution of language throughout Scotland:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... alects.png

It's interesting to note how the Campbeltown area is like an island of Scots dialect in a part of the country that is entirely Gaelic, possibly because it was an important seaport with trading links to the other areas.

[EMDEE]

It was around the time the American presence at Machrihanish was increasing and one story doing the rounds was of the American C.O.'s wife , having got a copy to try to "unnerstan" the natives, learned of a word which translated as "extremely". At a rather grand "meet and greet" dinner party where all the "High heed yins o the toon" were attending , she announced to the grand assemblage that she thought it "a lovely area and wasn't it a hooruva nice day today?"

Probably apocryphal but a nice story anyway

There is another related word that seems to be a combination of two words already mentioned on this thread. If the weather had been inclement on the day of the event, the CO's wife could have said it was a "hooralookin" day.

[general jack o'niell]

in case anyone is unaware a "big jim daniels" is the large white jelly fish. the name comes from when he owned a couple of local boats the "nobles" and "nobles again" theres another story about those names.

he was out at the prawns on one of the boats when the codend came aboard full of the big jellies, obvious to all but him so the story goes, "we're rich boys, the nets full of them" or words to that effect he cried, hence from that day to this, a big white jelly is a big jim daniels. thats the story i was told anyway, i can't account for its accuracy, but it was told to me by the daughter of the skipper the late janet black.

[EMDEE]

Didn't wan't to show my ignorance by asking how big Jim Daniels found his way onto a list of marine creatures, but I knew there'd be some story behind it.

Did Jim Daniels know he was a large white jellyfish?

[general jack o'niell]

that i don't know, but i've just been on the trawler forum speaking to a retired tarbert skipper and came up with another word, don't know why i hadn't though of it sooner, a good campbeltown word, a rude awakening, your comeuppance, a gunker!!!!!

[EMDEE]

I worked for JD for a while at his warehouse at the back of Woolworths after leaving the school. I know that he was called a few things behind his back but never a coelenterate. (not a Kintyre word)

[general jack o'niell]

i've two brothers who did likewise, tho i suspect for jad, nice word that, it'll have them rushing for wickipedia

[gizmo]

I thought Hodges was on the corner of Longrow and Main Street, where the Courier office is noo?!?!?

It was, thats why it was always called Cooks corner Quite a few words cropping up that I havent heard for years, dialect spelling always confuses me.. Best word so far has to be Syning as in rinsing.. Dont know about a press being in the kitchen, we had one in the loaby as well.

[ionnsaigh]

We had the coal bunker in the loaby.

[hugh]

Wouldn't that have been a "coal press" in Kintyre?

Gizmo. Thought Cook's corner was across the road from Hodges, where that pub is (the Kintyre?)

Spangles. Sorry it took so long, but I have heard "stae" (stay) used that way many a time. How about "doot" (doubt)? As in "I doot it's gonny
rain", actually meaning the opposite of what you'd expect. I've never heard it used that way outside of Kintyre. And "boussing". That's such a handy word, I'm surprised I've never even heard its equivalent outside Kintyre. There's "obvious", but it doesn't carry the cynicism that "boussing"
implies. Anybody know where that came from? Gaelic?

[general jack o'niell]

do you mean to act of having a boose? a "petted lip" a sulk, or another word, its sometimes hard to know what way to spell such words, many probably never or rarely written down.

[4th gen Suthen']

That's good about doot meaning the opposite of what it should!!! so it does!! in Kintyre would it not be " I doot it's
GANNTAE rain" and not gonny, which is surley more of a Glasgow thing.

Wondered about boosin as well....it's a good word for sure........dont understand the "obvious" comparrison.

What about doag? nae doags anywhere else, only Kintyre.

"Gie the doag a clap affter you feenish syning these dishes!!"

[Annie]

What about "toorie" as in the hat???