Quiz

BuzzFeed Staff, UK

BuzzFeed

How Well Do You Know Scots?

"Neuk" is the Scots word for nook or corner. The pretty East Neuk fishing villages include Elie (pictured), St Monans, Cellardyke, Crail, and Kingsbarns.

Correct answer: Corner

What does "neuk" mean, as in "East Neuk of FIfe"?

"But Mouse, you are not alone
In proving that foresight may be vain:
The best laid plans of mice and men
Often go wrong."

Correct answer: not alone

How would you translate the top line of this Robert Burns poem?

In the lowland Scots dialect "brae" means a steep bank or hillside, as in: "A figure was spied struggling up the brae."

Correct answer: Hillside or steep slope

What does "brae" mean?

"Help ma boab!" is a catchphrase of the Scottish cartoon character Oor Wullie. When he's in trouble he usually shouts: "Jings, crivens and help ma Boab", which roughly translates as: "Jesus, heavens and help me God."

Correct answer: The fox took one look at the Gruffalo. "Goodness gracious!" he said, "Cheerio, little mouse."

How would you translate the middle two lines of this section of the Gruffalo (Scots version)?

The quote is actually a translation of "nobody puts Baby in the corner". All together now: "I've hud th' time ay mah life, an' uv niver felt 'at way afair."

Correct answer: _Dirty Dancing_

We've (roughly) translated a movie quote into Scots. But what movie is it from?

The dictionary defines stramash as:
1\. an uproar; tumult; brawl
vb (tr)
2\. to destroy; smash
[perhaps expanded from smash]

Correct answer: Commotion/uproar

What does "stramash" mean, as in: "There was a big stramash at the ceilidh"?

Cloot means cloth or clothing, and the saying essentially means: "It's not taps aff weather until June": Sage advice that more of us should follow.

Correct answer: Never discard any of your clothing before the end of May.

How would you translate this saying?

Auchen is a common prefix in the Lowlands, and is thought to originate from the Scottish Gaelic word "achadh", meaning "field of the..."

Correct answer: Field

You see the Scots word "Auchen" in a lot of place names, but what does it mean?

Sonsie comes from the Gaelic words sonas, meaning luck, but its meaning changed to describe someone who is jolly, healthily plump and attractive. In short: It's all about that bass.

Correct answer: Attractive and curvaceous.

In this Robert Burns poem, what does "sonsie" mean?

"It's a sair fecht" literally translates as "It's a sore fight", but is used as an expression of despondency meaning: "It's a hard life" or "that's life".

Correct answer: "It's a hard life".

What does the saying "It's a sair fecht" translate as?

Drouthy means thirsty, though it's usually used to describe a need for an alcoholic drink. In his poem "Tam o' Shanter", Burns described Hogmanay as a time when “drouthy neebors” gather to see in the New Year in a booze-fuelled haze.

Correct answer: Offer them a pint

If someone told you they were "Drouthy", what would you do?

This phrase quite literally means: "Long may your chimney smoke", but is used to wish people good fortune at Hogmanay, essentially saying: "May you never be without fuel for your fire".

Correct answer: I wish you well for the future.

What does this phrase mean?

"Many a mickle makes a muckle" tends to be used to mean "many small things add up to one big thing" and is usually used in the context of money: "Look after the pennies and the pounds take care of themselves".

Correct answer: Look after the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.

What about this phrase?

Dreich is a particularly useful Scots word that means dreary, miserable, wet, bleak weather. As in: "It's a cold, dreich August day again."

Correct answer: Put on two extra jumpers and find an umbrella

And finally: What would you do if someone told you the weather was "driech"?

Oh dear: You don't know your driech from your drouthy. Ur ye e'en scottish?

It's a sair fecht.

Ye ken yer mince, but ye still hae some wark tae dae.

No bad!

Here's tae us, wha's like us?

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How Well Do You Know Scots?

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