Glossary A-Z : Still on Bs

ah
means 'I' as in
"Ah wiz oot wae Jimmy" (I was out with Jimmy)

bed recess
an alcove in a tenement flat which held a double bed. It was normally curtained off for privacy.
Given the numbers of people who once stayed in these small flats, kids were often squashed into these beds like sardines.
In surviving, modernised tenements these alcoves are now often used as small dining areas.

beds
hopscotch or peever. Girl's game using chalked out squares on the ground.
A total mystery to us lads who couldn't figure out all that jumping and chanting that went on among the lassies when they were playing this game.

beelin
very angry.
"The aul man wiz beelin when eez hoarse (horse) fell at eh first fence." (My father was very angry when his racehorse let him down)

belang
belong.
"I belang tae Glesca."

ben
in, inside.
"Come ben eh hoose." (Come inside the house)

bevvy
alcohol or drinking session.
"Ah wis oan eh bevvy last night. Ah've a heid lik a sterheid!" (I was drinking last night and now I've a hangover.)
Being on the "heavy bevvy" is to have a really good session. A "bevvy merchant" is one who is persistently drunk.

biddy
old woman. "An auld biddy threw a stain at the scabby dug." (An old lady threw a stone at the scruffy dog.)
Also, Red Biddy is cheap red wine.

Billy boy
old term for a protestant, derived from William of Orange. Normally heard in the singing at auld firm football games between Rangers and Celtic (sorry no links to that one!)
Also once a way of establishing someone's religion.
"Are ye a Billy or a Tim?" The term Tim being the catholic equivalent.

black affrontit
offended or ashamed.
"Mah knicker elastic snapped an mah drawers fell tae mah knees! Ah wiz black affrontit."

blinder
well played.
"Jimmy goat up fur eez turn at eh darts an eh played a blinder." (Jimmy played well at the darts)

blooter
to hit someone really hard.
"Jimmy hid jist enough eh the insults fae the guy, so eh jist turnt an blootered im!"

bluenose
a Rangers supporter.

bogey
a wooden cart made out of old wood and wooden boxes, old pram wheels, nails and string. I always knew them as guidies.
Made famous by the Sunday Post character Oor Wullie.
Also, something ending ubruptly, usually because things have suddenly gone wrong, as in
"The gemmes a-bogey".
"Eh wiz in the pub wae eez fancy bit an eez aul lady cim in. She wiz beelin! Iz soon iz eh saw urr eh knew eh gemme wiz a-bogey!"
(He was entertaining his mistress in the local hostelry when his wife came in. She was very angry! As soon as he saw her he knew the game was up!)

Glossary A-Z : Still mair Bs

boggin
smelly, rotten.
"Pit yer shoes back oan, yer feet urr boggin!"
also, bowfin means the same.
To represent the correct tempo the phrase would be "Pityershoesbackoanyerfeeturrboggin!"
Then, taking into account what we've already learned, we eliminate the Ts - "Piyershoesbackoanyerfeeurrboggin!"

Are you getting the hang of this yet?

brammer
something very good.
"Yer new jaiket's a brammer." (Your new jacket's very nice)

breenge
lunge forward.
"Eh just breenged oot eh door an took a heider doon eh sters." (He just lunged out the door and went head first down the stairs)

broo
old term for Employment Bureau, former name for the Department of Health and Social Security.
"Ahve loast mah joab so ahm gaun doon tae sign oan the broo." (I've lost my job so I'm going down to sign on as unemployed)

bummer
bad result.
"Sorry tae hear aboot ye gettin caught fur speedin, whit a bummer!"
also leader or boss.
"Kin ah talk tae the heid bummer?" (Can I speak with the boss?)

bunnit
usually a man's cap.
When refering to a short man wearing a cap one might say
"Don't staun oan ah hat, thers sumdy unner it!"

bye
originally a football term.
Now used to giving something a miss. "Ah wiz gauny go doon the pub but ah hink ah'll gie it a bye." (I was going to go to the pub but I think I'll give it a miss)

C

canny
"Ah canny dae it." (I cannot do it)

carry oot
pronounced "kerry oot
take away food or drink.
The latter is deemed a precious item. Often purchased after leaving the pub late at night, the odds against it reaching its destination intact (especially in bottled form) is not good.
"Ah drapped mah kerry oot oan eh pavement an eh boattle smashed." (I dropped my carry out on the pavement (sidewalk) and the bottle smashed)

caur
motor car.
"Mah dug goat noaked doon bih a caur." (my dog got knocked down by a car)

chanty wrastler
used to insult someone who is reckoned to be incompetent.
A chanty is a chamber pot (or poe). To wrastle is as in wrestle.
Therefore we have one who wrestles chamberpots?!!
Whatever the translation, this colourful term remains one of my personal favourites.
Try it next time you phone up to complain about some poor service received.
"Yer jist a bunch a chanty-wrastlers!"

chin
complain.
"Ah jist went up an chinned the waiter."

chuckie or chuckiestane
a small stone or peeble.
"Wha's flingin chuckies at mah windae?"

clatty
dirty.
"Away an wash (pronounced as in trash) yir hauns, thir clatty."

close
common entrance and stairs to a tenement building.
The close served/serves all residents of flats 'up that close'.
Each close carried/carries a number shared by all living there. It's important to bear this in mind when researching tenement addresses as there could be up to 20 flats/families sharing the one close and number.

cludgie
toilet.

coorie in
snuggle up or cuddle someone.
"It wiz really cauld so we cooried intae each urra."

cop
to get what's coming to you.
"Wan eh eez days yir gonnae cop yer whack!"

corrie fisted
left handed

crabbit
grumpy, irritable.
"Away ya crabbit sod ye". (Go away you grumpy person)