Monday, July 21, 2003
Ooh, the banter!
The next edition of the Collins English dictionary could contain a series of Scottish slang words that would see the tome act as a handy phrase book for visitors to the country.
A research team is being sent north of the border to find out just how often words like 'bamstick' (fool) and 'binraker' (someone who rummages through bins) are used in everyday conversations and whether they should be included in the seventh edition of the dictionary, due to be published in 2006.
Phrases championed by the likes of Scottish comedy series Chewing the Fat are among those to be chosen for extra investigation.
Some even have more than one meaning. 'Neds', for example (young ne'er do wells who hang around the streets), can also be described as 'tracksuit ambassadors' due to their fondness for sportswear.
While many of the words aren't in common use in the North-east city that houses lowculture Towers, we're still amused that the common plastic shopping bag is also known in Glasgow as the 'Paisley briefcase'.
Our favourite, though, has to be 'fannybaws'. It is a very versatile insult that you can use to describe any contemptible person. And it's the pet name for an editor of a certain publication which we won't mention here.
By Anonymous :: Post link
:: 
::
0 pop-up comments
:: Discuss on messageboard
