Ah, the Scottish weather—a tempestuous tango between clouds, drizzle, and the occasional rogue sunbeam. Welcome to our whimsical guide, where meteorology meets ceilidh dancing, and the forecast is as unpredictable as a Highland cow’s mood. 🌧️🎶
Please note most Scottish people are White 90% of the year, the rest they are RED from extreme sunburn. Nowhere in the Scottish vocabulary does the word “Sunblock” exist!
Descriptions
Aftak – Lull in a Storm
Airt – Direction of wind
Baltic – Very Cold
Bullet Staines – Hail Stones
Cauld – Cold
Chankin – Cold
Coorse – Dark and Stormy
Dreich – Gray, wet and not a day for going out
Drookit – Drowned, very wet
Dubs – Puddles, like those that you love to jump in
Feefle – swirling snow
Flaggie – A Muckle Snowflake (Large)
Flindrikin – Snow here and there
Glabber – Soft wet mud
Glaur – Soft Sticky Mud
Gloaming – Transition to from day to night (dusk)
Greetie – Rain
Haar – Seamist blanketing everything on a warm day
Howling – Blowing a Gale
Jeelit – Freezing
Mochie – Hot / Clammy
Pleiter – Splashing on wet ground
Plowetery – A hotchpotch of bad weather
Oorlich – Nippy, Cold and Chilly
Roasting – Hot Sunny day
Smirr or Smirry -fine rain or drizzle that soaks you to the skin quickly
Sneesl – Beginning of rain or snow
Snell – A bitter cold that gets under your skin
Stermm – Clear sky with Stars
Spitters – Slushy melty snow.
Sump – A torrent or dumping of rain or hail
Sweltering – Hot Sunny day
Unbrak – Thawing
Expressions
It’s blowing a hoolie -Supposedly derived from the Orkney Scots word ‘hoolan’, which means strong wind, this means it’s very windy outside.
Taps Aff – A popular saying in Glasgow that means it’s warm enough to take your top off – normally anything around 14C (58F) apparently.
Never cast a cloot till May is oot – Scots weather is fickle so don’t be fooled by a short sunny spell, it could still turn and you may need your warmer clothes yet.
The sun’s splitting the trees/sky/stones – it is a very sunny day outside.
Today’s rain is tomorrow’s whisky – Think this is designed to make us feel better about the fact it rains so much.
Although there are probably many more, if you know of any why don’t you comment below, but please include the region that it comes from if you know too please.
Hi I am Marcus, MM0ZIF, a licenced Radio Amateur, Doctor of Musicology, amateur weather enthusiast. I over the years have been a Amateur Radio Tutor, Examiner, and a Regional Manager for the Radio Society of Great Britain.
This site is dedicated more towards Amateur Radio and Weather, with an angle on Technology too. I also maintain https://havenswell.com/ which is my other blog which is more aimed at cooking, hobbies and life in general as well as businness and networking.
