Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Never at a Loss for Words (aka Scottish Proverbs)


It's a good thing that Scots have such a sexy accent since they always have something to say. Here's a list of Scottish sayings I collected from a variety of online sites:

http://www.fife.50megs.com/scottish-sayings.htm
He's the slave of all slaves who serve's none but himself.

The willing horse is always worked to death.

Empty barrels make the most noise.

Better be a coward than a corpse.

He goes long barefoot that waits for dead men's shoes.

If the Lord slight the lady so will the kitchen boys.

Scottish by birth, British by law, a Highlander by the grace of God.

Whisky may not cure the common cold but it fails more agreeably than most other things.

http://www.scotland-welcomes-you.com/scottish_sayings.html
Whit's fur ye'll no go by ye! - What's meant to happen will happen.

Is the cat deid? - Has the cat died? Means your trousers are a bit short - like a flag flying at half mast.

Mony a mickle maks a muckle! - Saving a small amount soon builds up to a large amount.

http://www.scotsindependent.org/features/scots/sayings.htm
A bonnie bride is sune buskit, an a short horse sune wispit: A good looking bride needs little in the way of adornment, and a small horse is soon groomed (i.e. A slight task is soon finished).

Chalk's no shears: literally "chalk is not a pair of scissors." There is a great difference between merely marking out on a cloth a desired pattern from actually cutting it (i.e. Planning to do something is not the same as actually doing it).

Can't get enough? Here are some more sites to whet your Scottish whistle!

http://www.scottish-at-heart.com/scottish-sayings.html
http://www.squidoo.com/scottishwords
http://www.visitrannoch.com/scottish-quotes.htm
http://jimmythejock.hubpages.com/hub/thejockspot_old_scottish_sayings
http://www.allgreatquotes.com/scottish_quotes_proverbs_scotland.shtml

And if you've never seen it before, here's a hilarious skit on Scottish accents!



Another great place to find all-things-Scottish is ScotchPotch.com. Check it out!

Come back here in another two hours for more Burns Night fun!

1 comment:

  1. I personally love, and use, Awa' and bile yer heid. Which suggests that whoever you're talking to should leave and boil their, er, head.

    ReplyDelete