Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘Eh’ll skelp yer lug’
Elaine Mclaren Holme’s father George Mclaren put the book — titled “Wironwirown” — together over a number of years.
The book — the title means We Are On Our Own — contains a list of Dundee dialects, sayings and some quirky selfpenned poems on the city’s history.
Elaine, 51, of Coldside, said the idea to get it produced came to her after someone posted one of George’s poems to a group on Facebook.
She added: “I saw one of my dad’s poems on a Dundee history page and he wasn’t even credited, so I decided to post some of the things he’s written and say that my dad was the author.
“I got an amazing response. Folk were really impressed and wanted to read more. That’s when I mentioned the book had been published before.” including “awa an bile yer haid” and “eh’ll skelp yer lug”, translated to go and boil your head and I’ll clip your ear, respectively.
Elaine’s favourite part is “The Ither Dundee”, a poem discussing how the local dialect is dying as the years pass.
She added: “There’s loads of demand for stuff like this, nostalgia and local history.
“My sister Karen, my children and her children would all love to see it published. It would be great for my dad’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren to see his work.
“My dad was terrible for just giving his stuff away to people. I always said he should keep it and get it put together in a proper book.
“He worked as a concierge in the multis in the Hilltown and was well known across the city for the stuff he wrote.”
George’s brother Chris, 79, said he was keen to see the book published, adding: “I still get people coming up to me in the street talking about his poem ‘The Man in the White Sandshoes’.”
A DUNDEE woman’s bid to get her late father’s book republished could see sayings like “awa an bile yer haid” and “eh’ll skelp yer lug” roar back into life.