Glasgow patter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Glasgow patter or Glaswegian is an anglicised urban Scots dialect spoken in and around Glasgow, Scotland. The Glasgow patter has evolved over the centuries amongst the working classes, Irish immigrants and passing seamen in the dockyards. The dialect is a west central lowland Scots dialect, and features a varied mix of typical Scots expressions and vocabulary, as well as some examples of rhyming slang, local cultural references and street slang.

The Patter is used widely in everyday speech in Glasgow, even occasionally in broadcasting and in print. It often reflects the Glasgow sense of humour. 'The Patter', as with all dialects, is constantly evolving and updating itself, forever generating new euphemisms, as well as nicknames for well-known local figures and buildings.

[edit] Reference books

Michael Munro wrote a light-hearted yet accurate and informative guide to Glasgow Patter entitled The Patter, first published in 1985. With humorous illustrations by David Neilson, and later by Paisley-born artist and playwright John Byrne, the book became very popular in Glasgow and the rest of Scotland, and was followed up by The Patter - Another Blast in 1988, with The Complete Patter, an updated compendium of the first and second books, being published in 1996.

In the 1970s, Glasgow-born comedian Stanley Baxter famously parodied the patter on his television sketch show. "Parliamo Glasgow" was a spoof language teaching programme where Baxter played a language coach, with various scenarios using Glaswegian dialogue were played out for humorous effect.

In 1997, Jamie Stuart, an elder in the Church of Scotland, produced "A Glasgow Bible", relating some of the biblical tales in the Glaswegian vernacular.

Popular Scottish television comedies like Rab C. Nesbitt, Chewin' the Fat and Still Game also provide reference material, as well as having contributed popular new expressions to 'The Patter' themselves.

[edit] Examples

Many more examples in the The Complete Patter (1996) by Michael Munro:

Bahookie (may be spelt bahoochie) - The backside: 'They're no makin jeans that'll go over that big bahookie.'

Baffies - slippers.

Bampot - An idiot, fool, or sometimes a nutcase. This is often shortened to bam, and any eccentric named Thomas risks being dubbed "Tam the Bam".

Mental - Tough. That guy is mental.

Message - To go (for) or do the messages means to do the shopping. The items bought are known as messages. "Wis that you A saw staigerin up the road wi a ton o messages?" A shopping bag is often referred to as a message bag. Any kind of errand, not just to buy something, may be called a message: "She'll be back in a minute: she's juist awa a wee message." To give someone the message is to convince him of the error of his ways, either by verbal chastisement or physical force: "Boy, A'll gie you the message aw right if A catch ye at this wee gemme again."

Polis - This can mean the police ("A'm gaun'ae get the polis tae youse"), an individual police officer ("He's no a bad big guy...for a polis"), or a number of police officers ("A seen him rinnin doun the back lane wi twa polis on his tail"). A police station is often referred to as a polis office (pronounced oaffis): "A'm phonin the polis office if youse dinna turn doun that racket." The word also turns up in the phrase murder polis which can either be an exclamation of consternation or shock ("Murder polis!" The weans've broke ma washin line!") or a description of a difficult or confused situation ("It'll be murder polis gaun tae wark the morra if they dinna get thir roads grittit"). It also features in the rhyme:

'Murder, murder Polis three stairs up, the wumman in the middle door, hit me wi a cup, ma heid's aw broken 'n ma face is aw cut, murder, murder Polis, three stairs up.'

Polis is also the Gaelic, Turkish and Swedish word for police.

Skoosh - Any fizzy soft drink: "A coud murder a big bottle o skoosh!" A skoosh or skoosh-case is something that is done with no great effort: "A tried tae convince aul' greetin-face the flittin wad be a skoosh-case but ye can tell her nuthin'." To skoosh something or skoosh it is to accomplish it with ease: "Just concentrate on yer three-point turns an ye'll skoosh that drivin test." "Skooshed" is another word for drunk: "He wis that skoosht ye coudna make oot a wird he wis sayin."

Stowed oot - Full up: "The club wis stowed oot".

Ginger - Any carbonated soft drink, though particularly a bright orange fizzy drink called "Irn-Bru".

Bottle Merchant - Collecter of "ginger bottles" aka, "gingies", which have a monatary value (20p) upon redemption to a retailer. "awrite mate? any gingies?"

Bevvy - Any alcoholic drink. "Hiv ye been on the bevvy??" Beverage.

Nip - To nip someone is to "pull" them; "A'm nippin her the night", also known as "lumberin". Can also refer to French kissing.

Particks - A term for breasts which came about through a number of slang words and a pub (The Partick Smiddy) "Oh ay, she's gettin her particks oot the nou"

Jeg - Any carbonated soft drink. (Mostly notably Irn Bru) also known as "juice", but clearly not containing any such fluid.

Cleek - To refer to picking up a partner of the opposite sex ie "Did you get a cleek?", cleek being the Scots word for a hook or crook referring to the linking of arms. A more colourful theory is that it originates from late night kissing couples on tenenment doorsteps and knocking milk bottles to make a clinking sound.

Mad wi it - Phrase meaning drunk or intoxicated. "He's mad wi it"

Cludgie - A toilet

Bawbag - Scrotum.

Baw-hair - Pubic Hair. Also refered to as a small measure of distance. "That buckie bottle missed ma heid by a Baw-hair"

Pish - To urinate or when something is not very good. "This is pish."

Nae bother - No problem.

Numpty - Idiot.

Nurra - Another, for example gie's a nurra (give me another).

How? - Very commonly used instead of why?.

Scran - Food

Words are often strung together, making it less intelligible to outsiders, as in:

Nawamurnae (No A'm arna) - No I am not.