The Robert Burns Club of Milwaukee: Glossary "B"

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A Glossary of the Scots Dialect

Glossary "B"

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Ba'	a ball.
Babie-clouts	baby-clothes.
Back-yett	gate at the back.
Backet	bucket.
Backit	backed.
Backlins-comin	coming back.
Bade	endured, desired.
Baggie	(dim. of bag) the stomach.
Baig'nets	bayonets.
Baillie	magistrate of a Scots burgh.
Bainie	bony, muscular.
Bairn	child.
Bairntime	all the children of one mother.
Baith	both.
Bakes	biscuits.
Ballat	ballad.
Ballats	ballads.
Balou	lullaby.
Ban	swear.
Ban'	band.
Bane	bone.
Bang	a stroke.
Banie	bony (v. bainie).
Bannet	a bonnet.
Bannock	a cake of oatmeal bread, or a barley scone.
Bardie	dim. of bard.
Barefit	barefooted.
Barin'	(of a stone-pit) layimg bare the stone by removing the turf.
Barket	barked.
Barkit	barked.
Barley-bree	ale or whisky.
Barley-brie	or bree, barley-brew-ale or whiskey.
Barm	yeast.
Barmie	frothing or fermenting.
Barn-yard	stackyard.
Bartie	the Devil.
Bashing	abashing.
Batch	a party or quantity.
Batts	the botts or colic.
Bauckie-bird	the bat.
Baudrons	a cat.
Bauk	cross-beam.
Bauk-en'	end of cross-beam.
Bauld	bold.
Bauldest	boldest.
Bauldly	boldly.
Baumy	balmy.
Bawbee	a half-penny.
Bawdrons	the cat (v. baudrons).
Bawk	a ridge left untilled.
Baws'nt	having a white stripe down the face.
Bawtie	a familiar name for a dog.
Be't	be it.
Be-north	to the northward of.
Be-south	to the southward of.
Bear	barley.
Beas'	beasts, vermin.
Beastie	beast (dim).
Beck	a curtsy.
Beet	feed, kindle.
Beets	adds fuel to fire, incites.
Befa'	befall.
Behint	behind.
Beild	shelter (v. biel).
Belang	belong to.
Beld	bald.
Beldam	one who is bald.
Bellum	assault.
Bellyfu'	bellyfull.
Bellys	bellows.
Belyve	by-and-by.
Ben	the inner or best room of a cottage.
Benmost	inmost.
Benmostbore	the innermost recess or hole
Bethankit	the grace after meat.
Beuk	a book.
Bicker	a wooden bowl,
Bickerin	noisy contention; hurryin
Bickering	hurrying.
Bid	to wish or ask.
Bide	to stand, to endure.
Biel	a habitation.
Bield	shelter.
Bien	(of a person) well-to-do; (of a place) comfortable.
Bienly	comfortably.
Big	to build.
Biggin	building.
Bike	v. byke.
Bill	a bull
Billie	comrade, fellow, young man
Bing	heap.
Bings	heaps.
Birdie	dim. of bird; also maidens.
Birk	the birch.
Birken	birchen.
Birken-shaw	small birch-wood.
Birkie	lively, young, forward fellow.
Birr	force, vigor.
Birring	whirring.
Birses	bristles.
Birth	berth.
Bit	crisis; also, little.
Bitch-fou	completely drunk.
Bizz	a bustling haste.
Bizzard	the buzzard.
Bizzardgled	a kite.
Bizzie	busy.
Bizzies	buzzes.
Bizzy	bury
Black-bonnet	the Presbyterian elder.
Black-nebbit	black-beaked.
BlackBonnet	thc elder.
Blad	v. blaud.
Blae	blue, sharp, keen.
Blastet	blastit, blasted.
Blastie	a term of contempt.
Blastir	blasted, withered.
Blate	shamefaced, sheepish.
Blather	bladder.
Blaud	to slap, a quantity of anything
Blaudin'	pelting or beating.
Blaw	to blpw, to brag.
Blawing	blowing.
Blawn	blown.
Bleer	to blear.
Bleer't	bleared.
Bleerit	bleared.
Bleeze	blaze.
Bleezin	blazing.
Blellum	an idle talking fellow.
Bleth'rin	talking idly.
Blether	the bladder, nonsense.
Bletherin'	talking nonsense.
Blethering	talking idly.
Blethers	nonsense.
Blin'	blind.
Blin't	blinded.
Blink	a short time, a look.
Blinkers	a term of contempt, pretty girls.
Blinkin	smirking.
Blinks	looks smiliny.
Blitter	the mire snipe.
Blude	blood.
Blue-gown	one of those beggars who gets annually on the king's birthday a blue cloak with a badge
Bluid	blood.
Bluidy	bloody.
Blume	bloom.
Bluntie	stupid person.
Blype	peeling.
Blypes	shreds.
Bobbed	curtsied.
Bocked	vomited.
Boddle	halfpenny, small coin.
Bode	look for.
Bodie	a person.
Bodkin	tailor's needle.
Body	bodie, a person.
Boggie	dim. of bog.
Bogle	goblin.
Bole	a hole, or small recess in the wall.
Bonie	bonnie, pretty, beautiful.
Bonilie	prettily.
Bonnie	beautiful.
Bonnock	thick cake of oat or barley bread.
Boon	above.
Boord	board.
Boord-en'	board-end.
Boortree	elder bush.
Boortress	elders.
Boost	must needs.
Boot	payment to the bargain.
Bore	a hole or rent.
Botch	an angry tumor.
Bouk	a corpse.
Bountith	bounty.
Bouses	drinks.
Bousing	drinking.
Bout	about.
Bow't	crooked.
Bow-hough'd	crook-thighed.
Bow-kail	cabbage.
Brachens	ferns.
Brae	the slope of a hill.
Braid	bread.
Braid-claith	broad-cloth.
BraidScots	broad Scots.
Braik	to harrow to break the clods.
Braing't	rushed forward.
Brak	did break.
Brak's	broke his.
Bran'y	brandy.
Brankie	well attired.
Branks	a kind of wooden curb for horses.
Brany	brandy.
Brash	a sudden short illness.
Brats	clothes, aprons.
Brattle	a shore race.
Braw	handsome, gaily dressed.
Brawest	most handsome.
Brawlie	finely, perfectly, heartily.
Brawly	perfectly.
Braxies	sheep that have succumbed to the disease "braxy".
Breastie	dim. of breast.
Breastit	did spring up or forward.
Brechan	a horse-collar.
Breckan	fern.
Bree	juice, liquid.
Breeks	breeches.
Breer	brier.
Brent	high, smooth, unwrinkled; brought.
Brie	a brow.
Brief	a writing.
Brier	briar.
Brig	bridge.
Brisket	breast.
Brither	brother.
Broad-claith	broad-cloth.
Brock	a badger.
Brogue	a trick.
Broo	water, broth.
Brooses	races at country weddings.
Brose	a thick mixture of meal and warm water; also a synonym for porridge.
Browst	as much malt liquor as is brewed at one time.
Browster-wives	ale-house wives.
Browsterwives	ale wives.
Brugh	burgh.
Brulzie	a brawl.
Brunstane	brimstone.
Brunt	burned.
Brust	burst.
Buckie	dim of buck.
Buckle	a curl.
Buckskin	an inhabitant of Virginia.
Budget	tinker's bag of tools.
Buff	to beat.
Bughtin	folding.
Bughtin-time	the time of collecting ewes to be milked.
Buirdly	strong, well-knit.
Buke	book.
Bum	to hum.
Bum-clock	a beetle.
Bumming	humming.
Bummle	a blunderer.
Bumper	a full measure.
Bunker	a seat in a window.
Bunters	harlots.
Bur-thistle	spear-thistle.
Burdies	damsels.
Bure	bore, did bear.
Burn	stream.
Burnewin	blacksmith (lit: burn the wind)
Burnie	dim. of burn, a rivulet.
Burr-thistle	spear-thistle.
Busk	acorn.
Busking	dressing, decorating.
Buskit	dressed.
Buss	bush.
Bussle	a bustle.
But	without or wanting.
Butan'ben	kitchen and parlour.
By	past, apart.
Byattour	in the neighbourhood, outside.
Byeattour(i	e., by and attour), beside and at a distance.
Byhimsel	beside himself.
Byke	a bee-hive.
Byre	cowshed.

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Page last updated 02-NOV-2000