Authors: Lewis Grassic Gibbon
A Scots Quair (102 page)
neb
, beak, nose
neep
, turnip
neist
, next
neuk
, nook, corner-seat
nicker
, whinny
nickum
, mischievous boy
nout
, ox, blockhead
orra
, odd, disorderly, spare
orra
man, lad, odd-job man
outbye
, out in the fields, out of doors
oxter
, (to) embrace; armpit, forearm
paich
, gasp, pant
park
, field
peek
, âtiny bead or point of light, little tongue of flame' csd
peek
and preen, dress in finery (with aid of needle and pins)
peely-wally
, anaemically pale
peesie
, lapwing, peewit
petronella
, Scottish country dance
pickle
, few
piece
, sandwich, snack
pig-ree
, pigsty
pleiter
(n.), mess; (vb.) dabble aimlessly
pock
, sack
pow
, head
press
, large cupboard
prig
, urge
pringling
, prickling, tingling
purviews
, grounds
push
, gang, rabble
quean
, girl
queered
, puzzled
raddled
, fuddled, stupefied
rangy
, âlanky' lgg
rash
, disease of pigs
rax
, stretch
redd
up, epitomise, tidy, clear (throat)
ree
, perch, pen, midden, pigsty
reek
, smoke, mist
reischle
, rustle, noisy group
reischles
of, âoodles', abundance of
rickle
, loose, ramshackle pile
rig
, furrow, dress
rip
, handful of stalks of unthreshed grain, unbound sheaf
rive
, break, tear
roaded
up, put on the road to, off on a journey
rouped
, (of possessions), sold up
rousting
, blustery
row
, roll
runkled
, wrinkled
salts
, a purgative
sappy
, plump, fleshy
scart
(n.), puny, shrunken
scaur
, âsheer rock, precipice; a steep, eroded hill' csd
scavenger
, street cleaner
schlimped
, stunted
schlorich
, âa wet, disgusting mess' csd
scone
(vb.), beat
scraich
, screech
scrimp
(n.), thin slip
screw
, sage, salary
scrunch
, pig's food
scuddle
, do dirty work
scunner
, disgust; loathsome person
set
(t), serviced (d); encounter, match, act of sex
shargar
, youngest of a brood or litter, weakling
sharn
, âdung in a semi-liquid state' lgg
shows
, stalks and leaves of potatoes
 or turnips
shelvin
, part of the sides of a farm cart
shoggle
, sway unsteadily
sholtie
, pony, young horse
shoo
, send away, usher in (from word used in driving animals)
shoom
, hum, buzz
shover
, chauffeur
showd
, swing to and fro
skate
, contemptible idiot
skeeter
(n.), diarrhoea; (vb.) slither awkwardly
skellop
, long strip
skelp
, slap, strike, beat
skeuch
(n.), squint; off-course
skilly-like
, competent, practical
skirl
, scream, shriek
skite
, mad, âdaft, used flippantly' lgg
skitter
, âslither in a jerky, awkward way' csd
slammock
, hectic bout
sleek
, move furtively, slink
sleeked
, sly and cunning
slider
, ice-cream wafer
slock
, slake
slocken
up, quench thirst
slummock
, âa lumpish slattern' lgg
smeddum
, energy, âguts'
smiddy
, smithy
smit
, infect
smore
, smother
sneck
, door-latch
snell
, biting, bitter
snib
, fasten
snicker
, snigger
snifter
, snivel
sock
, point of a ploughshare
sodden
, boiled
sonsy
, (of woman) buxom (of kirk) roomy, substantial
soom
, swim, skim
soss
, (n.) a dirty, wet mess (vb.) to foul, dirty, mess about with (sexually)
sotter
, âto bubble stagnantly' lgg
sough
, sigh
sourock
, sorrel, âa little sour plant' lgg; a perverse, surly person
sow
, large oblong stack of straw of hay
sowans
, sour pudding of oat-meal and water
spank
, move briskly
speak
(n.), rumour, talk, piece of idle gossip
spirit
, spurt, flutter
spleiter
, âa wettish mess' lgg
spunk
, match, spark; âessence, courage, grit; a lucifer match' lgg
spurtle
, âa stick for stirring porridge' lgg
squatter
, scatter, flutter
st
(r) amash, uproar, âblind fury' lgg
stammy-gaster
(vb.), flabbergast, (n.) disagreeable surprise
stationy
, (railway) station-master
steek
, stitch, sharp pain
steer
, commotion
stirk
, bullock, heifer
stite
, nonsense
stiter
, stagger
store
the kiln (or kin), last out, keep going
stock
, person, âguy'
stook
, shock of cut sheaves set up to dry in a field
stot
(n.), bullock, (vb.) bounce, rebound
stound
, feel painful
stour
, dust
strainer
, âthe main upright of a wire fence' lgg
stravaigings
, wanderings
sumph
, idiot
 supped
, eaten
sutor
, cobbler, (vb.) cobble
swack
, nimble, brisk
sweir
, lazy, idle
sweirty
, sloth, slack period for tradesman
swey
, âmovable iron bar over a fire, on which pots, kettles etc. can be hung' csd
swither
, (of a pig's head) move uncertainly
swop
, (of a pen) swing, move quickly
syne
, then, next, ago
tacketty
, hob-nailed
ta'en
, taken
taik
, walk, stroll
tanner
, sixpence
tattie
, potato
tee-tee
, teetotal
they
, (a) those
thole
, endure
thrapple
, throat
thrawn
, obstinate
thummikins
, thumbscrew, in which one or both thumbs were compressed tice, entice, coax, wheedle tink, tinker, âcontemptuous term for a person, specif, a foul-mouthed, vituperative, quarrelsome, vulgar person' csd
tint
, lost
tirr
, tear off (skin), strip
tocher
, inheritance
toff
, upper-class, often fashionably dressed person
Tooje
, a local pet (girl's) name
Tooje
, a local pet (girl's) name
toom
, empty
toun
, farm-settlement, town
trauchle
(n.), careless, incompetent person; mess; long, tiring trudge
trauchled
, burdened, harassed
trig
, tidy, neat
twine
, twist, meander
tyne
, lose
uncalsayed
, unhewn, undressed (of stones)
ulster
, long, loose overcoat
unchancy
, ill-omened, dangerous
unco
, strange, outlandish, enormous
uncouthy
, unfriendly
unsweir
, hectically busy
vallay
, valet
vest
, undershirt
wame
, stomach
wastry
, gross extravagance
wean
, child
well-happed
, well-fleshed
well-kenspeckled
, easily recognisable, âtrim' lgg
wheeber
, whistle
wheen
, a few
wheest
, hush
wice
, sensible
wight
, blame
wish
(onomat.), move quickly with horses and plough
wynd
, narrow, side street
wyte
(vb.), know, (n.) fault
yammer
, whine, clamour
yavil
, âland in harvest the previous year' lgg
yestreen
, yesterday
yherne
, eager
yowl
, howl, yell
A SCOTS QUAIR
 Â
James Leslie Mitchell, âLewis Grassic Gibbon' (
1901
-
35
), was born and brought up in the rich farming land of Scotland's North East coast. After a brief and unsuccessful journalistic career, he joined the Royal Army Service Corps in
1919
, serving in Persia, India and Egypt. Thereafter he spent a further six years as a clerk in the RAF. He married Rebecca Middleton in
1925
and became a full-time writer in
1929
. The young couple settled in Welwyn Garden City where they lived until the writer's death in
1935
.
  Â
Mitchell published a number of short stories and articles and his first book,
Hanno, or the Future of
Exploration
, appeared in
1928
. Seven novels followed under his own name.
Stained Radiance
(
1930
); The
Thirteenth Disciple
(
1931
);
Three Go Back
(
1932
);
Image and Superscription
(
1933
);
The Lost Trumpet
(
1932
);
Spartacus
(
1933
); and
Gay Hunter
(
1934
). In the same year Mitchell collaborated with Hugh MacDiarmid to make
Scottish Scene
, which contained three of Mitchell's best short stories, later collected in
A Scots Hairst
(
1969
).
  Â
He adopted his mother's name for his finest work, the trilogy
A Scots Quair
, which comprised Sunset Song,
Cloud Howe
and
Grey Granite
, written between
1932
and
1934
. Dogged by ill health at the end, Mitchell died of a perforated ulcer at the age of only thirty- four. An unfinished novel,
The Speak of Mearns
, was published in
1982
.
First published in Great Britain in 1995
by Canongate Books Ltd,
14 High St, Edinburgh, EH1 1TE
This digital edition first published in 2009
by Canongate Books Ltd
Copyright © Lewis Grassic Gibbon, 1932, 1933 and 1934
Introduction and notes copyright © Tom Crawford, 1988, 1989, 1990
The moral right of the author has been asserted
The publishers gratefully acknowledge general subsidy from the Scottish Arts Council towards the Canongate Classics series
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available on
request from the British Library.
ISBN: 978 1 84767 446 3
www.meetatthegate.com
