Welcome to day four of Things in Scots!—a fun collaboration with my husband, Jez (Mind an gie Jez’s post a keek.)
As kids, we were discouraged from speaking Scots, so much so, we were given little bits of paper to put in a tin with the English for the Scots words we were meant to stop using.
It wasn’t until I met Jez that I realized that one of the words I’d used my whole life wasn’t English. When I twigged that the teachers didn’t know it wasn’t English, I couldn’t stop smiling.
That word is today’s Things in Scots: Oxter. (Oak-sturr)
So, what does oxter mean? It basically means armpit. I know, I know, so anti-climactic. But, it’s used in more ways than just to name a body part.
Oxter also means:
- To carry things under your arm
- Fold someone in a one-armed embrace
- Cuddling/sexy snuggles
- Underside of animals
- Being arm-in-arm
Here’s a link to the full modern definition, and here’s one for the pre-1700s definition.
Stoap at! Ma oxters ur right ticklie.
In Inglis: Stop that! My underarms are ticklish.
See, oxter is a braw wird.
If you want to ken the Scots for anything, just ask in the comments section.
Thenks fur stoapin by, and hae a wunnerfu day.
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