Hi all,
Happy October! Hope you are enjoying the fall and change of seasons. With Halloween upon us, my kids had a ‘dress as a storybook character’ day at school today, and I thought it was so cute! My daughter dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast who happens to be one of my all-time favorite characters. The idea also got me thinking about my own fictional characters. One character readers and friends alike have been asking to known more about is Hugh Macrae.
Hugh’s a Scottish rogue and play boy actor from Glasgow, Scotland with a secret past and the MMC in my upcoming romance novel, Scottish Stars book three, BENEATH THE STARLIGHT. Aye, he’s Scottish. As a Glaswegian, he speaks a form of Scottish English, inflected with a rich, expressive accent and some slang and idioms, too.
When I visited Scotland a few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting friend and tour guide, James, who is also a born and bred Glaswegian. He drove my sister and I, and six others around the highlands and Isle of Skye in a small tour van, navigating single lane roads, veering around highland coos and fluffy sheep, and coloring our journey with music, laughter, and so much fun. Most recently, he also kindly answered a few Scottish questions including helping me verify Scots language/dialect questions for Hugh, too! Thank you, James! You’re the best.
To get to know my made up Glaswegian, a bit more, I thought it’d be fun to share some Scottish sayings and words you may come across, while reading my next book. After all, a character is more than just physical attributes and costumes. A character’s language reveals their inner world and background, and even their core personal traits, as well as their feelings and emotions. Hugh’s a complex character who puts on a mask in front of many—even acting like his on-screen highland warrior character in the historical romance tv show, Swords of Scotland—never sharing his true self or his history, but there’s a deep, protective core beneath the bad boy exterior and even a little sweetness, too. I can’t wait for you to meet him.
Below is a short list of some Scottish words/slang Hugh says in Beneath the Starlight.
Glossary of Scottish words/slang
“Yer lookin’ affa bonnie tonight.” - You are looking awfully beautiful tonight.
“Whits fur ye will no go by ye” - a traditional Scottish proverb that means, “What’s for you will not pass you by.” This is one of my favorites!
“Yer a long time deid.” - A reminder that life is short, so seize the day and make the most while you’re here because one day, you’ll be dead for a long time.
“He who hings aboot gets hee haw.” - a person who is indecisive ends up getting nothing
“Away an bile yer heid!” - go away and boil your head
Roaster - Someone who is being a pain (e.g., a pain in the arse)
Taps aff - Taking your shirt off because the sun has finally came out (even if it is only 13°C).
Glesga - slang for Glasgow head butt
As an example, Hugh might say, “Angus was being a roaster in the bar last night, so I ended up geein him a glesga kiss.” This means, Angus was annoying, so he gave him a head butt! What a way to settle an annoyance, right?
Hope you enjoyed these fun Scot words and sayings! Which is your favorite?
Until next time, I send you love,