Glesca Patter 6
Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2004 4:49 pm
Glesca Patter 6
First posted SPDG 2 November 2003
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I’m starting off this week with responses to some of your recent comments…
Glessky? GLESSKY! Ah, a Fifer, that explains it There are many areas in Scotland, particularly along the central belt, where local dialects sound strangely Glaswegian. But don’t be fooled, true Glaswegian Patter stands alone – often imitated but never bettered. Davesloan writes of the expression ‘seesapiece’ as being the Methillian version of the Glasgwegian ‘geezapiece’. Not much difference really, except perhaps that the Glasgow version lacks the hint of politeness contained in it’s Methil equivalent. But what would really give him away is his use of Glessky! No native Glaswegian would use that term for his home city. Glasgow’, Glesca and Glesga are all acceptable but not ‘Glessky’. Having said that, how about some more Methilisms Dave?
As for the use of ′ for the glottal thingy. I always knew this would be a problem and agree that the wee ′ is probably the prefered method but I’m conscious that not everybody understands it’s significance so I’ve tended towards expressing things by sounds and spelling where I can and hope people can pick it up as we go along. I’m still experimenting on this so comments are useful. I reckon the only way to really solve the problem would be to hold a Saturday afternoon session in Glasgow’s ‘Sorry Heid’ followed by a field trip around the ‘Barras’. People would soon pick it up then!
Thanks everybody for the comments on Tam the Chancer, much appreciated. Who knows, we may hear more of him in the future. Wullie, nice one – but don’t gie up the day joab R – You a schoolteacher? (Bane ah mah life when ah wiz wee wir you schoolteachers. Glesca Patter tae a schoolteacher’s lik singin the ‘Sash’ tae the Pope Ann – Yer dead right aboot the caurs. Tram Caurs were the original (no many of them aroon noo!) I seem to recall the term Motor Caur but that seems to have all but died out as well.
Right, better get oan wae the A-Z! Letter D this week.
da –
Father, dad. “Whit diz yer Da work it?” ‘What does your father do for a living?’
“Eez a deck haun oan a submarine”.
daud –
Lump. “Pit a daud a coal oan eh fire wullye? Ah’m freezin.”
dauner –
Walk or stroll.
Husband: “Ahm gonnae take a wee dauner doon the road.”
Wife: “Aye, well make sure ye don’t dauner intae the pub.”
day –
Today. Not so much the word but the way it’s used. “Wher urr ye gaun eh day?”
“Eh day’s eh day eh teddy boys hiv ther picnic.”
deid –
Dead. Whit ah’ll be if R ever gets hurr hauns oan me efter whit ah sed earlier aboot teachers!”
dearie me –
Dearie me. Used by those few Glaswegians who are averse to swearing. “Aw dearie me, ah’ve jist blootered mah thumb wae a hammer!” Roughly translated this would appear as an assortment of asterisks.
didgy (didjy) -
Digital. Just to prove that Glaswegian is a living, growing dialect that keeps up with the times;
Guy at the Barras: “Get yer didgy watches ere, two furr a pound!”
Glesca Punter: “Dae ye get batteries wae em?”
Guy: “Jist the wan hen, ye strap it oantae yer back!”
GP: “Geemmae four. An dae ye sell chargers?”
dinger-
Very angry. Rhymes with ringer. “When thae telt hurr she wisnae eligible - she dun err dinger!”
diznae –
Doesn’t. “Heh maw, this didgy watch disnae work!” “Urr ye werrin the battery?”
dog -
Dodge. Not to be confused with dog as in animal. “Hiv you bin doggin school again?” “Aye Ma, Ahm sorry, ah don’t want tae be a dogger but that schoolteacher’s really daein mah heid in!” Sorry R (Ahm gonnae end up getting eh belt so ahm urr!”
doo –
Pidgeon.
dooket –
Dovecote, pidgeon loft or pidgeonhole. “Sumdy’s half-inched a doo oot mah dooket!” ‘Someone has stolen (pinched) a pidgeon out of my dovecote.’
dout –
Cigarette end.
Father to his son: “If ah catch ye smokin again ah’ll wallop ye!”
Son: "But the minister said it’s awright tae smoke Da
because Jesus smokes.”
Father: “Eh?!”
Son: “He said tae take aw mah doubts tae Jesus!”
dreep –
Lowering yourself down from a height by hanging by your hands at full stretch, facing the wall and dropping the remaining distance. This was an essential skill for those living in the early tenement environment (and later housing schemes).
“Ah dreeped doon fae the wa′ an landed oan mah erse!” “Eh wiz that drunk eh hid tae dreep the front step!” Also a derogatory term for someone. “He jist stood ther lik a big dreep.”
The Drum –
Talking of housing schemes, this was the nickname for Drumchapel on the west of the city. “Ah’m meetin a lassie fae the Drum.” It was also the name of a local gang
from that area.
dumps –
The ritual carried out at school on your birthday (if the word gets out – and the teachers usually made sure it did!). Every wean (pronounced ‘wane’) in the school had a licence to thump you on the back the number of times corresponding to the years of your age. Could be pretty barbaric! “Ther eh iz! Get im! Cim ere ya wee sod tae wae gie ye yer dumps!”
dunny –
Cellar. Anyone ever actually see the Bogeyman who was supposed to lurk in the dunny?
dwam –
Daze. “Will ye pay attention instead of jist sittin in a dwam!”
An afore ah go… The Sorry Heid is a play on ‘Sarry Heid’ which in turn is a play on The Saracen Head public house that sits across the road (Gallowgate) from the Barras. A haven of modest charm and reputed to be Glasgows oldest pub.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
And now furr the tricky wan – Patter 7 tomorrow.
Bob.
First posted SPDG 2 November 2003
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I’m starting off this week with responses to some of your recent comments…
Glessky? GLESSKY! Ah, a Fifer, that explains it There are many areas in Scotland, particularly along the central belt, where local dialects sound strangely Glaswegian. But don’t be fooled, true Glaswegian Patter stands alone – often imitated but never bettered. Davesloan writes of the expression ‘seesapiece’ as being the Methillian version of the Glasgwegian ‘geezapiece’. Not much difference really, except perhaps that the Glasgow version lacks the hint of politeness contained in it’s Methil equivalent. But what would really give him away is his use of Glessky! No native Glaswegian would use that term for his home city. Glasgow’, Glesca and Glesga are all acceptable but not ‘Glessky’. Having said that, how about some more Methilisms Dave?
As for the use of ′ for the glottal thingy. I always knew this would be a problem and agree that the wee ′ is probably the prefered method but I’m conscious that not everybody understands it’s significance so I’ve tended towards expressing things by sounds and spelling where I can and hope people can pick it up as we go along. I’m still experimenting on this so comments are useful. I reckon the only way to really solve the problem would be to hold a Saturday afternoon session in Glasgow’s ‘Sorry Heid’ followed by a field trip around the ‘Barras’. People would soon pick it up then!
Thanks everybody for the comments on Tam the Chancer, much appreciated. Who knows, we may hear more of him in the future. Wullie, nice one – but don’t gie up the day joab R – You a schoolteacher? (Bane ah mah life when ah wiz wee wir you schoolteachers. Glesca Patter tae a schoolteacher’s lik singin the ‘Sash’ tae the Pope Ann – Yer dead right aboot the caurs. Tram Caurs were the original (no many of them aroon noo!) I seem to recall the term Motor Caur but that seems to have all but died out as well.
Right, better get oan wae the A-Z! Letter D this week.
da –
Father, dad. “Whit diz yer Da work it?” ‘What does your father do for a living?’
“Eez a deck haun oan a submarine”.
daud –
Lump. “Pit a daud a coal oan eh fire wullye? Ah’m freezin.”
dauner –
Walk or stroll.
Husband: “Ahm gonnae take a wee dauner doon the road.”
Wife: “Aye, well make sure ye don’t dauner intae the pub.”
day –
Today. Not so much the word but the way it’s used. “Wher urr ye gaun eh day?”
“Eh day’s eh day eh teddy boys hiv ther picnic.”
deid –
Dead. Whit ah’ll be if R ever gets hurr hauns oan me efter whit ah sed earlier aboot teachers!”
dearie me –
Dearie me. Used by those few Glaswegians who are averse to swearing. “Aw dearie me, ah’ve jist blootered mah thumb wae a hammer!” Roughly translated this would appear as an assortment of asterisks.
didgy (didjy) -
Digital. Just to prove that Glaswegian is a living, growing dialect that keeps up with the times;
Guy at the Barras: “Get yer didgy watches ere, two furr a pound!”
Glesca Punter: “Dae ye get batteries wae em?”
Guy: “Jist the wan hen, ye strap it oantae yer back!”
GP: “Geemmae four. An dae ye sell chargers?”
dinger-
Very angry. Rhymes with ringer. “When thae telt hurr she wisnae eligible - she dun err dinger!”
diznae –
Doesn’t. “Heh maw, this didgy watch disnae work!” “Urr ye werrin the battery?”
dog -
Dodge. Not to be confused with dog as in animal. “Hiv you bin doggin school again?” “Aye Ma, Ahm sorry, ah don’t want tae be a dogger but that schoolteacher’s really daein mah heid in!” Sorry R (Ahm gonnae end up getting eh belt so ahm urr!”
doo –
Pidgeon.
dooket –
Dovecote, pidgeon loft or pidgeonhole. “Sumdy’s half-inched a doo oot mah dooket!” ‘Someone has stolen (pinched) a pidgeon out of my dovecote.’
dout –
Cigarette end.
Father to his son: “If ah catch ye smokin again ah’ll wallop ye!”
Son: "But the minister said it’s awright tae smoke Da
because Jesus smokes.”
Father: “Eh?!”
Son: “He said tae take aw mah doubts tae Jesus!”
dreep –
Lowering yourself down from a height by hanging by your hands at full stretch, facing the wall and dropping the remaining distance. This was an essential skill for those living in the early tenement environment (and later housing schemes).
“Ah dreeped doon fae the wa′ an landed oan mah erse!” “Eh wiz that drunk eh hid tae dreep the front step!” Also a derogatory term for someone. “He jist stood ther lik a big dreep.”
The Drum –
Talking of housing schemes, this was the nickname for Drumchapel on the west of the city. “Ah’m meetin a lassie fae the Drum.” It was also the name of a local gang
from that area.
dumps –
The ritual carried out at school on your birthday (if the word gets out – and the teachers usually made sure it did!). Every wean (pronounced ‘wane’) in the school had a licence to thump you on the back the number of times corresponding to the years of your age. Could be pretty barbaric! “Ther eh iz! Get im! Cim ere ya wee sod tae wae gie ye yer dumps!”
dunny –
Cellar. Anyone ever actually see the Bogeyman who was supposed to lurk in the dunny?
dwam –
Daze. “Will ye pay attention instead of jist sittin in a dwam!”
An afore ah go… The Sorry Heid is a play on ‘Sarry Heid’ which in turn is a play on The Saracen Head public house that sits across the road (Gallowgate) from the Barras. A haven of modest charm and reputed to be Glasgows oldest pub.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
And now furr the tricky wan – Patter 7 tomorrow.
Bob.