What do you think?
Rate this book
The Auld Scots Dictionary
Where did those great old words like drookit, glaikit and dour come from? An indispensible A - Z of Scots with meanings of thousands of words. A concise history of Scottish words, their meaning and origins. Where did those marvellous old Scots words like drookit, glaikit, gawkie, flunkey, muckle, pernickitie, canie, carfuffle, whiter and dour come from? What do you do when you sprackle or spier? Why would it be wrong to call a decent woman a dyke-louper, a byssim or a Maggie-rab? Why was a black sixpence forbidden currency and cauld coal a cause for anything but celebration. This rich distillation of the Scottish language will bring many hours of informative education and entertainment.
296 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1992
About the author
Charles Mackay
679 books153 followersCharles Mackay was a Scottish poet, journalist, author, anthologist, novelist, and songwriter, remembered mainly for his book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.
Mackay became a journalist in London: in 1834 he was an occasional contributor to The Sun. From the spring of 1835 till 1844 he was assistant sub-editor of the Morning Chronicle. In the autumn of 1839 he spent a month's holiday in Scotland, witnessing the Eglintoun Tournament, which he described in the Chronicle, and making acquaintances in Edinburgh. In the autumn of 1844, he moved to Scotland, and became editor of the Glasgow Argus, resigning in 1847. He worked for the Illustrated London News in 1848, becoming editor in 1852.
Mackay published Songs and Poems (1834), a History of London, The Thames and its Tributaries or, Rambles Among the Rivers (1840), Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (1841), and a romance entitled Longbeard. He is also remembered for his Gaelic Etymology of the Languages of Western Europe and the later Dictionary of Lowland Scotch.
His daughter was English novelist and mystic Marie Corelli.
Mackay became a journalist in London: in 1834 he was an occasional contributor to The Sun. From the spring of 1835 till 1844 he was assistant sub-editor of the Morning Chronicle. In the autumn of 1839 he spent a month's holiday in Scotland, witnessing the Eglintoun Tournament, which he described in the Chronicle, and making acquaintances in Edinburgh. In the autumn of 1844, he moved to Scotland, and became editor of the Glasgow Argus, resigning in 1847. He worked for the Illustrated London News in 1848, becoming editor in 1852.
Mackay published Songs and Poems (1834), a History of London, The Thames and its Tributaries or, Rambles Among the Rivers (1840), Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (1841), and a romance entitled Longbeard. He is also remembered for his Gaelic Etymology of the Languages of Western Europe and the later Dictionary of Lowland Scotch.
His daughter was English novelist and mystic Marie Corelli.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 3, 2012
This book was a huge help to me while I was writing my dissertation. If you are reading Dunbar, Blind Harry, Robert Fergussen, or even Robert Burns, you need this book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review