SUSAN TIPPETT BRAITHWAITE

Welcome to day seventeen of Things in Scots!—a fun collaboration with my husband, Jez (Mind an gie Jez’s post a keek.)

Today’s word has several meanings, and to keep this post short, I’ll focus on the main ones. One of which immediately brings to mind childhood summers of getting drenched, and bugging my mum for empty washing-up liquid bottles.

Today’s Things in Scots is: Skoosh.

Skoosh—also sc(h)oosh—means gush, squirt, jet, spurt, and splash. Staying with the liquid theme: A spray bottle is a skoosher. You can skoosh aerosol air fresheners and deodorants. And, in the summer, kids fill empty washing-up liquid bottles to play skooshie gun fights—commercially bought water guns are also called skooshie guns.

A skoosh of something means a splash of a fizzy drink like lemonade, especially when added to alcohol as a mixer.

If something is a skoosh, it means that it’s easy to do—similar to the American term cakewalk. To “skoosh it” means to do something with ease.

For a more in-depth definition, be sure to check out the Dictionar o the Scots Leid.

Here’s an example of skoosh in use:

Gie’s a wee skoosh o Irn Bru wi the whuskie.

In Inglis: Give me a small splash of Irn Bru with the whisky.

If you want to ken the Scots for anything, just ask in the comments section.

Thenks fur stoapin by, and hae a wunnerfu day.

Things in Scots — Post History

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