Category Archives: Language

A number of English words have Scots origins. Glamour, for example, comes from English grammar and Scottish gramarye (namely, occult learning or scholarship). It means magic, enchantment, spell.

red, adj. comparative mair reid; superlative maist reid As early as the 15th century, criminals in Scotland were being “apprehendit  with the redhand”. It is not until the 19th century that Walter Scott used the form “red-handed” . The redness of the legs caused by exposure to the elements gave rise to the name redshanks.

Teckle (Dundee) – very good, entertaining