Off topic: Barrie, bogging, baffies and geggie - Scots words make it into new Collins dictionary Thread poster: Alison Schwitzgebel
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I have to admit that although "bogging" (with or without the "g" on the end) is common usage in my vernacular, barrie, baffies and geggie are new on me.
"New words are just barrie
Scots are being encouraged to open their geggies to get more of the country's words in the Collins English Dictionary.
Four words used north of the border have been included in the latest edition of the publication.
Barrie, baffies, bogging and geggie sit alongside dozens... See more I have to admit that although "bogging" (with or without the "g" on the end) is common usage in my vernacular, barrie, baffies and geggie are new on me.
"New words are just barrie
Scots are being encouraged to open their geggies to get more of the country's words in the Collins English Dictionary.
Four words used north of the border have been included in the latest edition of the publication.
Barrie, baffies, bogging and geggie sit alongside dozens of new additions from English regions in the 5,000 new words and phrases.
The publisher launched a national appeal for regional words before producting the latest volume.
"The dictionary already has very good coverage of Scots and one of the things we were keen to do this time round was to include words from the other regions of Britain," said editor-in-chief Jeremy Butterfield.
'Very successful'
"That is a trend we would want to continue because we feel that the dictionary isn't an academic exercise, it is a reflection of the language that is being used."
He said the appeal had proven "very successful" and generated a lot of interest nationally.
However, he said: "I don't think we had much of a response from Scotland.
"We will be doing similar appeals in the future and we would want to include Scotland - that goes without saying."
He stressed that Scotland was already well represented in the dictionary, which was founded by Glaswegian William Collins.
A new edition of the dictionary is published every three or four years.
Mr Butterfield explained that words were chosen for their frequency of use, their spread and their currency.
"Some of the words are not necessarily new, like geggie, but I think it is a useful one to have in," he told BBC News Online Scotland.
Imaginary game
The sixth edition defines barrie as very good and bogging as filthy, covered in dirt and grime.
Baffies is given as a Scots word for slippers, while geggie is a word for mouth.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling also makes her way into the dictionary with an entry for quidditch, defined as an imaginary game in which players fly on broomsticks.
Mr Butterfield said his favourite new entries included aesthetic labour - the hiring of employees for their appearance or accent in an attempt to enhance the image of the company.
He also picked out greenwash: "A superficial or insincere display of concern for the environment that is shown by an organisation."" ▲ Collapse
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HRiley 
Local time: 10:21
Spanish to English
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| takes me back | Jun 27, 2003 |
Alison Riddell-Kachur wrote:
I have to admit that although "bogging" (with or without the "g" on the end) is common usage in my vernacular, barrie, baffies and geggie are new on me.
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Thanks for that! I'm surprised that "barrie" and "boggin" didn't make it into the dictionary before, as they are definitely standard elements of most Scottish children's vocabulary, even years ago when I was at primary school!
But I beg to differ on the Collins' definition of "boggin'", which we always used to mean "disgusting", i.e. "Mum, this shepherd's pie is boggin'"
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DGK T-I
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:21
Georgian to English
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| Thank you Alison & HR for the new vista | Jun 27, 2003 |
HRiley wrote: Alison Riddell-Kachur wrote:
I have to admit that although "bogging" (with or without the "g" on the end) is common usage in my vernacular, barrie, baffies and geggie are new on me.
" Thanks for that! I'm surprised that "barrie" and "boggin" didn't make it into the dictionary before, as they are definitely standard elements of most Scottish children's vocabulary, even years ago when I was at primary school! But I beg to differ on the Collins' definition of "boggin'", which we always used to mean "disgusting", i.e. "Mum, this shepherd's pie is boggin'"
I wondered if this reference might be of interest - "some examples of Modern Scots"
I don't have the know-how to know whether it's the sort of language people would actually use or not, though.........or whether it's expected to reach Collins one day...?
'Old Scots' is sometimes talked about as a separate language or branch of English, and this might be from a modern version of that, or not - I'm not wise enough in such matters to know.
http://www.scots-online.org/grammar/noons.htm
[Edited at 2003-06-30 07:22]
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Paul Lambert
United States
Local time: 01:21
French to English
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It's always good when this happens - though, having lived in Scotland for the best part of the past 6 years, I tend to forget that the words I hear on a daily basis aren't so common in my native Ireland! Boggin' has always been a favourite of mine - barrie is a word from the Highlands I was introduced to by my flatmate in uni in first year - oh the memories!!! nice posting!
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Sheila Hardie
Spain
Local time: 10:21
Member
Catalan to English
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| Thanks for the information, Alison | Jun 27, 2003 |
I must admit that I knew boggin(g) and baffies but barrie and geggie were new to me. Maybe it's because I was brought up in the northeast of Scotland (near Aberdeen). I wonder if words like 'quine' and 'loon' and 'lum' are in the Collins dictionary?
BTW, I just came across this wee Scots dictionary. It's not very complete, but worth having a look at.
Sheila
<... See more I must admit that I knew boggin(g) and baffies but barrie and geggie were new to me. Maybe it's because I was brought up in the northeast of Scotland (near Aberdeen). I wonder if words like 'quine' and 'loon' and 'lum' are in the Collins dictionary?
BTW, I just came across this wee Scots dictionary. It's not very complete, but worth having a look at.
Sheila
http://www.britannia.org/scotland/scotsdictionary/q.shtml ▲ Collapse
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AngieD
Local time: 10:21
English
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| Barrie, Alison | Jun 28, 2003 |
I knew of baffies and boggin(g) - even after 20 years away from Scotland they slip in occasionally...
regards from vienna
Angie
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