8 out of 10 for brawest Scots terms
“Scots has given us some of the most expressive words in the dictionary,” said Dent. “It has a knack of filling gaps in English you either never quite knew existed, or would otherwise take an entire sentence to describe.”
Here, she shares some of her favourite Scottish words.
Curglaff: the shock of cold water
“Curglaff” expresses the shock of cold water as you plunge into it. It is made up of the prefix “cur-”, often applied when something or someone goes awry (think curmudgeonly), and “glaff”, a sudden blast of cold.
Wabbit: played out; without energy
“Exhausted”, “tired out”, “knackered”, “feeble” – all of these physical and mental states are encompassed in the Scots “wabbit”, first recorded in the late 19th Century.
Dowfart [Scots: dow-fuht]: lacking in spirit or courage
The definition of the Scots “dowfart”, or “duff art”, is as satisfying as it is condemning: “So much under depression of spirits as to be in a state bordering on that of an idiot”.
Groak: to covet someone else’s food
The act of “groaking” in Scots and Irish once involved “casting a suspicious eye” over something, or “whimpering and whining”.
Combine both to come close to the modern meaning – to stare longingly at someone’s food in the hope it might be shared. Croochie-proochles [crew-ee-proo-uls]: an uncomfortable feeling of restlessness
“Croochie-proochles” is an expression for the “discomfort from sitting in a cramped position”, as well as general “restlessness and fidgetiness”.