Doric Fae North East Scotland
Doric is the dialect of the Scots language spoken in the North East of Scotland and you may hear it when visiting the area. There is a matter of debate, if it a language or a dialect, but with an estimated 30,000 Doric speakers many words have now entered everyday use.
Doric shares linguistic roots with the Scandinavian languages. A Doric-speaker has bairns, goes to kirk, speirs questions and wipes stue (dust). The Norwegian equivalents are barn, kirke, spørre and støv.
There are hundreds more. Although you don’t need to know how to speak Doric to enjoy your travels
around the area, here are some of our favourite words:
Strushie - untidy, slovenly, disorderly
Crabbit – grumpy, ill-tempered
Drookit – drenched
Cappie – ice cream cone
Blootered – drunk
Wifie – woman
Teuchter – rural dweller
Swick – cheat
Skelp – slap
Scunner – to annoy or irritate
Puggled – tired, exhausted
Briks – trousers
Claik – gossip
Contermashious – contrary, negative
Dirl – rotate, spin
Lum – chimney
Gype – fool
Feart – afraid
Dookers – swimming costume
Clype – tell tales
You can find out more from the tourism destinations and organisations.