Scottish words and sayings, combined with a world-famous accent, can easily make the English used here sound like a totally separate tongue. It aptly reflects the fact that Scotland historically never had one uniform language spoken by all its ancestors (and to this day we still have languages like Scots and Scottish Gaelic.)
In the Scottish Highlands you were more likely to encounter Gaelic once upon a time while in the lowlands Scots was preferred.
We asked our Scotsman readers what “their favourite Scottish saying is” and they offered spectacular answers from “yer lookin’ peely wally” (you look sick) to the classic “whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye” (what’s meant to be will be!)
These are forty of Scotland’s favourite Scottish sayings and phrases as voted by our Scotsman readers.
37. Gaun yersel!
This is used as an expression of encouragement to motivate others, often in the context of sports events. Photo: South_agency via Canva Pro
38. Ma heid’s mince
"My head is mince" - this is like saying that your head is scrambled, probably because you're trying to do too many things at once. Photo: mattjeacock via Canva Pro
39. You're a long time deid
This is the Scots equivalent of "carpe diem" as it is a reminder that our time on this Earth is limited so enjoy your days to the fullest. Photo: Uriel Mont via Canva Pro