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#Scotstober Day 18 #Stour

Today’s word is stour. Stour, as a noun, is a layer of dust or any fine powder; it’s also a fuss, disturbance, strife, conflict. As a verb, it means to run, rush, swirl, rise up in a cloud. And, for weather, it means storm, tempest, wild, blizzard, snowstorm. We have a ton of words in Scots for the weather, which is fantastic if you’re a meteorological geek like Jez and me)

Here’s another quick wee response to the prompt (taken from Running The Asset):

Elle apent hir een, the smeekie-blae deepths cleekin wi Adam’s. He hud ainly ivver seen at colour it sea, richt afore a deidlie stour. An hit ainly mint ane thing, tribble.

And now in English.

Elle opened her eyes, the smokey-blue depths locking with Adam’s. He had only ever seen that colour at sea, right before a deadly storm. And it meant only one thing, trouble.

I can’t resist adding what jumps into my head whenever I say or hear the word stour–or see actual stour, which we’ll pretend I don’t see too often. 😉

#Scotstober Day 17 #Gype

Today’s word is gype. As a verb, gype means to stare foolishly or open-mouthed, to play the fool, to make a fool of. As a noun, it means foolish, an awkward person.

Here’s a quick wee response to the prompt (another wee snippet taken from Running The Asset):

A thoosan een wechtit doon in Elle’s shouders. Okay, at wis a whid, thir wir ainly sax in richt than. The een belanged tae Ward, the gype wi the sniper rifle she wis truistin tae relieve hir gin hit aa wint tae shite. Hir traicherous maister, Trevor. An Dekker, the hairtless ersehole wha hid harlt hir intae is hail nicht-mare.

And now in English.

A thousand eyes weighed down on Elle’s shoulders. Okay, that was an exaggeration, there were only six eyes on her right then. The eyes belonged Ward, to the awkward guy with the sniper rifle she was trusting would save her if it all went to shit. Her trecherous boss, Trevor. And Dekker, the heartless arsehole who had dragged her into this whole nightmare.

#Scotstober Day 15 and 16 #Lowp and #Grue

Sorry for going AWOL on Scotstober yesterday. I was having a wee bit of a bad day CRPS wise and just need to have a rest after getting my work on the manuscript done.

But, I managed to do a post today that covered both words!

Today’s words are lowp and grue. Lowp means leap, jump; spring to attention; a long springing step; throb; and a place to cross a river. Grue as a verb means to feel horror, terror, or to shudder; to run cold with fear; to shiver from cold, to make a grimace of horror or disgust. It also means melting snow and ice found on rivers in early spring.

Here’s my response to the prompts (another wee snippet taken from Running The Asset):

Melts o flams proggit fae the chaumer door-cheek, slaikin it the ruif abuin Adam’s heid. Spreedin fest. Panatick cleukit it heez thrapple.

He benseld oot a sair braith. Is wisnae heez nicht-mare; is wis rael. He wisnae the ane gruein, alane in the bleeze wi a corp. Elle wis. An gin he hid ony howp o makin hir help him, he hid tae muve. Noo.

He shueit in heez feet i a hauf forkin lik he wis a wean gittin olite fur heez go i a gem o Tommy Had a Gun. Three. Twa. Ane. Adam lowpt throu the flams an amaistd drappit fae the haet. Militar lowe upbring wi fearnought suits wur ane thing, bit a hailly unalik in civvies.

And now in English.

Tongues of flame poked from the bedroom doorway, licking at the ceiling above Adam’s head. Spreading fast. Panic clawed at his throat.

He forced out a harsh breath. This wasn’t his nightmare; it was real. He wasn’t the one trembling in fear, alone in the blaze with a corpse. Elle Maguire was. And if he had any hope of making her an asset, he had to move. Now.

Adam rocked on his feet in a half crouch like he was a kid getting ready for his turn in a game of Tommy had a gun. Three. Two. One. He leapt through the flames and almost dropped from the heat. Military fire training drills with fearnought suits were one thing, but a completely different thing in civvies.

#Scotstober Day 14 #Stookie

Today’s word is stookie.

Stookie generally refers to plaster of Paris. In Scots, it means a plaster cast for broken bones. In the non-medical world, it means statues made of plaster, but I’ve heard it to mean pretty much all statues.

Sticking with the statues definition, this leads into descriptors of people standing stock still–think deer in the headlights. Stookie can also apply to anyone who’s a wee bit slow on the uptake. And, it’s also a game played by kids where they have to stand still like statues and the first to move is out. (I remember playing the game, and, honestly, it was way more fun than it sounds.)

The last version isn’t in any of the Scots dictionaries, I looked, and it’s not in them. This is more of a regional definition, specifically Glasgow. Stookie meaning headbutt. Growing up, I’d hear the phrase, “I’m goan tae stick the stookie oan him.” (I’m going to headbutt him.)

Here a cupple stookies it Glesga Botanic Gairdens
(Here’s a couple of statues at Glasgow Botanic Gardens)

#Scotstober Day 13 #Dour

It’s a picture post for today and probably tomorrow, but I’ll be back with some screivin (writing) on Friday.

Today’s word is dour. I use dour on a fairly regular basis. Not only is it a great descriptor of the weather, or someone’s mood, it’s also a great insult (I’ll share that after the definition 😉). Dour means humourless, sullen; stern, severe; slow, reluctant; for weather, it means bleak, gloomy; and of the land, it means barren.

The insult comes in many forms, one of which can be: She’s a dour-faced wee shite. I don’t think I need to translate that. 😂

A dour day it Cummernaud Hoose Pairk
(A gloomy day at Cumbernauld House Park)

#Scotstober Day 12 #Stramash

Today’s word is stramash, and it’s a beauty! Stramash uproar, commotion; crash, accident, argument, rage, fury, shatter (and so many more words, if you’d like to check them out yourself, head on over to https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/stramash.

A Wee Explainer Before Diving In

When translating Scots into English, I’ve found—especially in this piece—that one word in Scots equals a string of two or more words in English to attain the same meaning. 

Here’s a couple of examples of what I mean (note that these words have way more meanings than I share here, the definitions below relate to how I’ve used them in the text below):

Hap(pit) means to cover over in order to conceal.

Clap(t) means to pet/caress affectionately. He clapit her shouder means he affectionately caressed her shoulder.

Diving In

Here’s my response to today’s prompt (another wee snippet taken from Running The Asset):

Dekker happit Rosa wae the duvet. Aw Elle cuid think wis thit Rosa wuidnae be caul onymair. But for the fit powkin oot.

“A need tae ca iss in.” Dekker clapt Elle’s shouders, than birled hir awa fae the bouk. “Cruik yer hochs in the living room, ye dinnae need tae be seein hir lik is.”

Elle hoverit. Puir Rosa. Will she no git affa caul wae hir fit powkin oot fae unner the duvet? She dooblet back an coort Rosa’s fit.

Dekker wis in the door-cheek, speakin oan the phone, waukin Elle lik she wis gonnae stramash it ony mament. 

And now in English.

Dekker covered over Rosa with the duvet. All Elle could think was that Rosa wouldn’t be cold anymore. Except for the foot poking out.

“I need to call this in.” Dekker affectionately patted Elle’s shoulders, then turned her away from the body. “Sit down in the living room. You shouldn’t see her like this.”

Elle hesitated. Poor Rosa. Won’t she get cold with her foot poking out from under the duvet? She doubled back and covered Rosa’s foot.

Dekker was in the doorway, talking on the phone, keeping an eye on Elle like she was going to shatter at any moment.

#Scotstober Day 11 #Bourach

Today’s word is bourach. Bourach means heap, crowd; muddle, confusion, mess.

Here’s my response to today’s prompt (another wee snippet taken from Running The Asset):

Elle stappit throu the entry an jeelt. The hoosie wis malafoostert. Faem an stuffin skailt fae screeds in the sofa an muckle chairs. Papers plowt fae the offish intae the living room leavin a skirvin o papers lik confetti ower the flair. The offish neuk in the faur cunyie wis disnanuled.

A wechtie ba o dreid heft laich in hir wame. Rosa cuidnae hae been hame, she wuid hae focht thaim. But, hoo cuid Elle ken in is bourach?

And now in English.

Elle stepped through the door and froze. The apartment was trashed. Foam and stuffing spilt from slashes in the sofa and armchairs. Papers cascaded from the office into the living room leaving a coating of papers like confetti over the floor. The office nook in the far corner was obliterated.

A heavy ball of dread settled low in her belly. Rosa couldn’t have been home, she would have fought them. Except, how could Elle know in this mess?

This is a more word-for-word translation than the previous one.

#Scotstober Day 10 #Sprauchle

Today’s word is sprauchle. Sprauchle is such a descriptive word. It means to move with difficulty; struggle; clamber; to move in a hasty, clumsy manner.

Here’s my response to today’s prompt (another wee snippet taken from Running The Asset):

There wis nae mistakin the hairdness o the gun brizzt howe intae hir side. “Gin ye wint tae leeve tae sei the nixt meenit, ye’ll stoap feckin sprauchlin,” the gadgie ahint hir fisst.

Elle jeelt. Gin she fochtin him aff, wi the gun insnorlt, hit wid maist like en wi hir bluidin tae daith aw ower hir newlins feenisht flair. She nodded.

And now in English.

The unmistakable hardness of a gun pressed deep into her side. “If you want to live to see the next minute, you’ll stop fucking struggling,” the man behind her hissed.

Elle froze. If she fought back, with the gun involved, it would most likely end with her bleeding to death on her newly polished floor. She nodded.

#Scotstober Day 9 #Kail

Today’s word is kail. Kail is a word I don’t use much. It means cabbage. But, it also means soup and broth. And, because cabbage was used so much in Scottish meals, it is also a word for dinner/tea/whatever you call your main meal.

A’m sairie fir there nae beein ony say in the Scoats the day. Bit, A’m richt thrang wi scrievin Running The Asset. A’ll bi bak wi somehin the morra. 👍

(I’m sorry for the lack of fiction in Scots today. But, I’m extremely busy writing Running The Asset. I’ll be back with something tomorrow. 👍)

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