Scots word of the week

AULD CLAES AND PORRIDGE THE end of the Festive Season can leave some of us a bit jaded and we are quite happy to return to auld claes and porridge, that is back to the normal daily routine or, more starkly, sober reality. The first example in the Dictionary of the Scots Language actually turns the phrase round as in this from George Umber in Ayrshire Idylls of Other Days (1896): “It aye comes back to parritch an’ auld claes at the hin’ren” [hinderend = at the end].

Here we have found earlier evidence of the phrase, but not a great deal earlier: “However, the season of cakes has passed away, and …, some of the boys in our midst are thankful that the time has come round again of “auld claes an’ parritch”.” (Rothesay Chronicle January 1890). This clearly ties the phrase to the Festive Season but there are other examples relating to the annual summer holidays as in this from the Leven Mail of July 1951: “AULD CLAES AND PARRITCH : We do not like to remind while you are enjoying your holidays of the other 51 weeks of the year.”

Later in the 20th century Liz

Lochhead writes in Bagpipe

Muzak (1991): “Anyway that’s Him away back this morning. So that’s me. Auld claes and parritch! Never really slept right last night, well, you never do.” Sounds like it was a good party.

I will look forward to getting back to auld claes and parritch but then, here in Scotland, we just can’t let the festivities go – after all Burns’ night is just round the corner.