Things in Scots: Running the Asset Edition – Stick the Heid Oan

I swithered over posting this one or not, mainly because of the length of the post’s title. Ultimately, I decided to share this because it’s one of those phrases that I don’t think twice about using when I’m writing. I’ve always felt that it’s an easily translatable phrase, but I started to think of some English phrases/puns that I never understood until they were explained. So, I thought it wise to find out how easy or hard it is to understand today’s TiS.

[A quick example: In Scotland, The Shaun the Sheep movie/show is thought of as just a wee sheep called Shaun. It wasn’t until recently that we found out it was supposed to be a pun. I wracked my brain trying to figure it out but failed. It wasn’t until Jez explained the joke (in England, the word shorn is pronounced without the ‘r’, making it sound like Shaun) that it made sense, though the humour was lost in translation for me.]

Here’s the snippet… (unedited first draft)

“I’ll do it,” Elle said.

Dani stared at Elle like her sister had been replaced with a crazed imposter.

“Sounds like a simple enough plan.” Killian focused on Elle, ignoring Adam’s glower. “What else do you need?” 

Dani was out of her chair, crowding Killian, murder in her eyes. “She’s not doing it.”

At least someone saw things as clearly as Adam. Things were getting out of control, and sending Elle in tonight would only get her killed. Adam stepped between Killian and Dani. “Find another way, got it?” He emphasised the ‘got it’ with a hard shove.

Killian shoved him back. “You’re not running this op anymore. I am. You go in as her backup, or she goes solo.”

It took every last ounce of self-control Adam had to not stick the heid oan Killian and knock him the fuck out. “She’s done.”

Running the Asset (Deniable Unit #1)

🤞 Stick the heid oan… Okay, first, we’ll tackle each part of the phrase. Stick, in this instance, means to put or hit. Heid means head. Oan means on. The whole phrase in English would be hit the head on, but it doesn’t convey the entire meaning. To stick the heid oan someone is to headbutt them, hard.

That’s it for this week

I hope you enjoyed this post. I’d love to hear your comments on how easy or difficult it was to get the gist of stick the heid oan as it appeared in the quote.

Interested in some Scots words from Running the Asset that are a wee bit too hot for the site? (The first spicy snippet is hitting inboxes in the next week or two!) Sign up for my newsletter and get them straight to your inbox.

If you find yourself inspired by the Scots words I share, add the tag #TiS or #ThingsinScots to your writing/art/photo post and drop your link in the comments.

If you want to see more Scots posts, check out the original series, Things in Scots.

Thanks for reading. Take care, and I hope to see you next week for more Scots on Fiction Friday!