What’s amazing about this rich tradition of culture and folklore is that Scotland’s entire population is less than that of the greater Atlanta, GA metro area.

Although there is technically no such thing as a formalized Scottish language, the sounds and textures of Scottish slang are derived from dialects such as Lowland Scots—which is a Germanic dialect spoken in the nation’s southern regions—and Scottish Gaelic, which is a hodgepodge of Celtic influences and northern Scottish oral traditions.

Due to phonological quirks such as rolling their “Rs” and extending their vowels, native Scottish speakers are some of the hardest to understand to everyone else in the English-speaking world. If you come from Canada or the US or Australia and walk into a pub in Glasgow or Edinburgh, chances are that you’ll need an interpreter. While tourists might find this frustrating, native Scots would likely feel proud that there’s still a little bit of Braveheart left in them.

A am’ nae — I am not

A clean shirt’ll do ye — you have one more change of laundry before you die

A pritty face suits the dish-cloot — if you’re pretty, it doesn’t matter what you wear

A wisna(e) — I wasn’t

A, ah — I

A’m black-affronted — I am extremely ashamed

A’thing — everything

A(w)rite — all right

Abo’dy — everybody

Aboot — about

Aff — off

Affie — afternoon

Ah am — I am

Ah dinnae ken — I don’t know

Ah wiz like — I was like that

Air beige — fart

All his eggs are double-yoakit — he’s full of shit

Am a pure nick — I look a mess

Am goin a donner — I am going for a walk

Am no — I am not

Am pure done in — I’m exhausted

Amen’t ah? — aren’t I?

Anaw — as well

And but — I’m done talking

Anno/ah ken — I know

Arse / erse — buttocks

Arsehole/ersehole — asshole

Auld — old

Aw — all

Awa’ an bile yer heid — get lost (away and boil your head)

Awfy/affy — awful (usually used as an amplifier, e.g., “awfy cauld”)

Awright — all right

Awright ya wee bawbag? — how are you doing my friend?

Aye — yes

Aye right — I don’t believe you

Baccy — tobacco

Backgreen — backyard

Baffies — slippers

Bahoochie — butt

Bairn — baby

Balloon — someone who is full of hot air

Baltic — cold

Bam — dumb thug

Bampot — a crazy idiot

Banana boat — you’re insulting my intelligence

Banger — penis

Barra — a little child

Barry — fantastic

Bawbag — scrotum

Bawface — big round face

Bawhair — thickness of a pubic hair

Bawheid — emptyheaded

Belter — fantastic

Bevie — alcoholic drink

Bez — beer

Bird — girl or woman

Biscuit — cookie

Bizzo — business

Black as the Earl of Hell’s waistcoat — pitch-black

Blether — chatty

Blootered — very drunk

Boaby — police; also means penis

Boak — dry

Boggin — smelly, dirty

Boke — puke

Bonnie — beautiful

Boot — ugly woman

Bosie — cuddle

Bowfin — sick-making

Box, the — TV set

Brae — a hill

Braw — good-looking

Breeks — pants

Burd — girlfriend

Calmy doony — you have to chill out

Cannae — cannot

Cannie — smart

Chancer — Con man

Chebs — tits

Cheese toasty — grilled cheese

Chib — to stab or headbutt

Chief — dude

Chips — fries

Chitter — shiver

Chore — steal

Chug — masturbate

Chum — to accompany

Claes — clothes

Clarted — covered in something

Clarty — dirty

Clipe — to snitch

Cludgie — toilet

Cowk — puke

Cowp — knock over

Crabbit — grumpy

Cutting — hanging out aimlessly

Dafty — fool

Diddy — female breast

Dinnae — don’t

Div — idiot

Dobber — a fool

Dog/doggin — having sex in the back of a car

Dolton — idiot

Dowp — ass

Driech — dreary weather

Drookit — soaking-wet

Dunderheed — idiot

Eejit — idiot

Faffing — procrastinating

Fag — a cigarette

Failing means yer playin! — at least you’re trying

Fancy — to like

Fandan — “Fancy Dan”; an arrogant idiot

Fanny — vagina

Feart — afraid

Fit — attractive

Fitba — football

Fizzy juice — soda

Flap — flip out

Flutter — a small bet

Fud — vagina

Gads — that’s disgusting

Gash — vagina

Geein me the boak — that makes me feel sick

Geggie — mouth

Geks — glasses

Get tae — go away

Gie it laldy. — give it your best

Gingin — disgusting

Girn — whine

Glaekit — stupid

Gob — mouth

Gobble — blowjob

Gonnae no dae that — please don’t do that!

Gonny naw dae that? — will you please stop?

Goon — idiot

Gowpin’ — sore body part

grannied — struck out

Grass — snitch

Greet — to cry

Guid gear comes in sma’ bulk — good things come in small packages

Gumption — initiative

Gutties — shoes

Hame — home

Haud yer wheesht — stop talking

Haver — gibberish

Heavin — extremely busy

Heed/heid — head (a’ve got a sare heed)

Heid-the-baw — idiot

Hell slap it intae ye! — it’s your own fault

Hirplin — to walk with a limp

Hoachin — extremely busy

Hogmanay — New Year’s Eve

Hole — vagina

Honkin — smelly

Hoora — hella

How no’? — why not?

Hummin’ — smelly

I’m getting the messages — I’m going to the grocery store

I’m goin tae the pictures — I’m going to the movies

I’m going ta skelp yer wee behind! — I’m going to smack your little ass

I’ll gie ye a skelpit lug! — I’ll give you a slap on the ear

I’m fair puckled — I’m out of breath

It wis hoachin’ — it was busy

It’s time to get your jags — it’s time for your vaccinations

It’s a lang road that’s no goat a turnin.’ — things are hard but will get better

It’s a sair ficht for half a loaf. — life is hard and unfair

Jake(y) — addict/drunk

Jammy — unfairly lucky

Jessie/jessy — wimp

Jings — wow

Jobby — poo

Joggies — sweatpants

Keech — poo

Keek — a little look

Ken — know

Kip — sleep/nap

Kippy — left

Kirk — church

Knob — penis

Labdick — police

Lad — a boy or young man

Laldie — reprimand

Lang may yer lum reek — long may you live

Lassie — girl

Lavvy — toilet

Lecky — electricity

Lifted — arrested

Loch — lake

Loupin — very sore

Lugs — ears

Lum — chimney

Ma heid’s mince — my head’s mixed-up

Mad wae it — being very drunk

Mair — more

Maist — most

Mauchit/manky — very dirty

Melted — extremely high on drugs

Mental — wild

Mince — nonsense

Minger — horrible ugly person

Mingin — dirty

Mink — dirty person

Minted — wealthy

Morn, the — tomorrow

Muckle — large

Muckle — very big

Munter — ugly person

Nae danger — no chance

Nahcred — exhausted

Napper — head

Nat King Cole — intercourse

Natter — chatter

Naw — no

Ned — troublemaker

Nip — kiss

Noggin — head

Noo — now

Noo jist haud on! — slow down

Noo, the — right now

Nugget — a dirty little piece of something

Numpty — a lovable idiot

Nut — head

Oan yer bike — go away

Och awa’ an’ dinna talk pish — you’re talking nonsense

Och aye! — oh yes!

Och! — oh!

Oot — out

Oot yer nut — very drunk

Ory/orey/oary — vulgar

Oxters — armpits

Pan — break or disfigure

Panbread — dead

Pap — breast

Patch — to ignore someone

Pedro — amazing

Peebrusht — rectum

Peedy — tiny

Peely wally — pale and unwell

Piece — a sandwich

Pimps — easy

Pish — pee

Pished — drunk

Pooched — broken, useless

Poppy — money

Puckle — a few of something

Puddock — a frog

Pumped — sex

Pure — very

Pure dead brilliant — exceptionally good

Quine — girl

Radge — violently angry

Rat-arsed — drunk

Reekbeek — horrible, disgusting

Riddy — embarrassed

Roaster — someone who is making an ass of themselves

Rocket — a crazy or annoying person

Screwball — unhinged

Scunner — nuisance

Sesh — a long night of drinking that lasts into the next day

She’s a bonnie lass — she’s a beautiful girl

She’s up to high doh — she’s all worked up

Shneeb — smoke

Sink the link — engage in intercourse

Skedaddle aff — scurry away

Skelp — to smack or

Skelping — an ass-whupping

Skinny Malinky Longlegs! — a tall thin person

Skint — short of money

Skud — naked

Skyrocket — a very crazy person

Sleekit — sly or untrustworthy

Slitter — to slobber while eating

Smartarse — someone who thinks they’re clever

Solid — hard, tough

Sook — big softie

Speccy — someone who wears glasses

Spewin — vomiting

Spondoolies — money

Spondoolyitis — a medical condition for talking shit

Spraff — gossip

Square go — a fair fight, one to one fight

Sshan — a shame

Steamin — drunk

Stroppy — in a bad mood

Sup — small amount of liquid

Swally — to swallow

Swatch — look

Swick — cheat

Tadger — penis

Talking oot yer fanny flaps — lying

Tan — smash windows

Tap — to borrow money

Tassie — cup

Tatties — potatoes

Tekul — good

Telt — told

That’s a sin — what a shame

Tidy — beautiful, stunning, delicious, fantastic

Tin pail — jail (rhyming slang)

Toaty — small/tiny

Toonser — someone from the city

Torch — flashlight

Totie — very small

Troops — friends

Tube — an idiot

Twa — two

Wabbit — tired

We’re a’ Jock Tamson’s bairns — we’re all the same

Wean — child

Wee — small

Weegie — someone from Glasgow; from “Glaswegian”

Wench — slut

Whaur dae ye bide? — where do you live?

Wheesht — be quiet

Whit’s fur ye’ll no go past ye” — whatever is meant to happen to you will happen to you

Whitey — puke

Widnae/Willnae — would not

Winch — to French-kiss someone

Wur tearin’ the tartan — having a great conversation

Ya bas — you bastard

Yaks — eyes

Yaldi — an expression of deep joy

Ye — you

Ye mak a better door than a windae. — get out of the way, you’re obscuring my view

Yer a chancer — you’re pushing your luck

Yer bum’s oot the windae! — you’re not making any sense

Yer clatty/Yer mingin’ — you’re dirty/disgusting

Yer gettin’ skelped — you’re going to get slapped

Yer oot yer face! — you’re very drunk

Yocker — a large, but still throwable, stone

Yon — that

Yonks — years, a long time ago

You’re a wee scunner! — you’re being a pain in the ass

You’re all bum and parsley. — you’re all bark and no bite

You’re the wee hen that never layed away — don’t play innocent with me

Yuptae — what are you up to?