SCOTS WORD OF THE WEEK

TUMSHIE n, a turnip TUMSHIE is a word of obscure origin. The Dictionary of the Scots Language (www.dsl.ac.uk) suggests that it could be a children’s version of “turmet” a Scots form of English turnip. It seems to be a relatively late addition to DSL with the first example dating from 1947: “Gee we hid a lot o’ fun pinchin’ totties [potatoes] an’ tumshies” (JF Hendry, Fernie Brae).

However, Santa is not the only one with access to elves at this time of year and here at Scottish Language Dictionaries our elves have discovered an earlier example from the Falkirk Herald of August 18, 1923: “Stolen fruit is always sweetest they say, and perhaps the same remark applied to the stolen ‘tumshie’.” Obviously, tumshies seem to have been the target of opportunistic thieves.

Although, 10 years later, this example follows again from the Falkirk Herald, where the tumshie is part of a special meal: “Supper consisting of ‘tatties and baked tumshies and pottedheid,’ was afterwards partaken of.” (January 28, 1933).

Of course, before the advent of the pumpkin the tumshie lantern or tumshie leerie was an essential part of a guiser’s Halloween equipment, as illustrated here from the Kirkintilloch Advertiser of November 3, 1943: “There were no ‘tumshie leeries’ to be seen this Hallowe’en.” No fun for guisers during wartime, then.

From West Lothian in 1973 we are also told that a tumshie gowk is another name for a scarecrow, from the habit of using a tumshie for the head.

Scots, being Scots, did manage to turn this round into a term of abuse for a stupid person: “Brainy folk will thank him while tumshies won’t have a clue.” (Sunday Herald, April 8, 2007). Scots Word of the Week is written by Pauline Cairns Speitel of Scottish Language Dictionaries, www. scotsdictionaries, mail@ scotsdictionaries.org.uk.