• Login
InfoNewsLive
No Result
View All Result
  • TRAVEL GUIDES
    • Hawaii
    • Australia
    • Scotland
    • Canada
    • Switzerland
    • Netherlands
    • Germany
    • New Zealand
    • Ireland
    • Austria
    • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
InfoNewsLive
  • TRAVEL GUIDES
    • Hawaii
    • Australia
    • Scotland
    • Canada
    • Switzerland
    • Netherlands
    • Germany
    • New Zealand
    • Ireland
    • Austria
    • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Plugin Install : Cart Icon need WooCommerce plugin to be installed.
InfoNewsLive
No Result
View All Result

27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The Weather

Alethea Dilys by Alethea Dilys
January 25, 2023
in Scotland
0 0
0
Home Scotland

The Scots enjoy discussing the weather incessantly. Possibly because of this, there are over 400 words for snow. Oh, and the old adage “if you like the weather in Scotland, wait a half-hour and it will change” could not be more accurate. Although “dreich” will always be the most popular, the following are some of the best Scottish weather-related words.

Table of Contents

  • Dreich
  • Pure Baltic
  • Snell
  • Flaggie
  • Fret
  • Mochie
  • Bullet Stanes
  • Drookit
  • Jeelit
  • Sump
  • Gloaming
  • Greetie
  • Haar
  • Plowetery
  • Oorlich
  • Smirr
  • Feefle
  • Flindrikin
  • Stermm
  • Spitters
  • Unbrak
  • Pish-oot
  • Watergaw
  • Auld wives and pike staves
  • ‘The rain is God’s way o’ cleanin’ the coos’
  • ‘Cast not a clout till May is oot’
  • Yer grandpa’s like the weather — nae pattern!

Dreich

Meaning dreary, gloomy, bleak, miserable, grey, depressing, and sunless… you get the idea! Dreich is the mothership of all Scottish weather terms and is used more frequently than cans of Irn-Bru are opened, so it’s not surprising that Scots voted it as their favorite word in a government survey.

27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The Weather
A Dreich Day In Scotland | © Neil Williamson / Flickr

Pure Baltic

It’s absolutely (insert curse word) freezing, to the point where you’ll likely be shivering uncontrollably.

Snell

It is so bitterly cold that it feels like the air is penetrating your skin.

Flaggie

A large (muckle) snowflake.

ADVERTISEMENT
27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The Weather
A Dreich Day In Glasgow | © Rory / Flickr

Fret

Don’t worry, for a “fret” is a sea-borne mist that is piercingly cold and damp.

Mochie

Applicable to those squirming moments when clamminess envelops you and warm, uncomfortable dampness sets in as a result of those dreadful, humid days.

27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The WeatherBullet Stanes

Simply put, hailstones.

See also  35 Scottish Sayings That Confuse Americans

Drookit

Completely saturated to the bone, drenched, sodden, soaked. If your clothes are “drookit,” you either didn’t have an umbrella or the rain was so heavy that the umbrella couldn’t prevent your clothes from becoming drookit.

27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The Weather
Drookit At The Airport | © Magnus Hagdorn / Flickr

Jeelit

A great-sounding term for extremely cold temperatures.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sump

When the rain falls with vigor and great force.

27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The WeatherGloaming

This alluring and evocative twilight that descends upon a location in the early evening hours. “the glomyng of the nycht” appears in an old Scots text from the fifteenth century.

27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The Weather
At Saltcoats Harbour, A Gloaming Sunset | © Robert Brown / Flickr

Greetie

From the Scots word for ‘cry’, ‘greet’, ‘greetie’ means raining and showering.

Haar

If you observe the haar entering, then you are observing a notable wispy mist entering from the east.

Plowetery

If it is plowetery, then the situation is a mess. Rainy, showery, filthy, and wet.

ADVERTISEMENT

Oorlich

The word ‘oorlich,’ which means unwelcomely damp, nippy, cold, and chilly, is an excellent opportunity to emphasize the Scots ‘ich’ sound. NOT to be pronounced as “oor-lick”

27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The Weather
Storm Descending On Cairnwell | © Neil Williamson / Flickr

Smirr

That irritating, drizzling rain that ruins the day. It’s not impressive enough to justify a “rain day” spent indoors, but it still manages to slowly soak you.

Feefle

A term used to describe snow that magically swirls, twirls, and dances, inspiring the desire to build a snowman.

Flindrikin

A sprinkling of snow here and there.

Stermm

The material of stars!

27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The Weather
Stars Above Dunure Castle | © grayeme / Flickr

Spitters

The kind of slushy, chilly snowflakes or icy raindrops that touch your skin during a firm gust of wind.

Unbrak

Used to describe situations when a thaw is imminent.

27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The WeatherPish-oot

Intense precipitation when it’s “pishing it down”!

See also  25 Awesome Things Scotland Gave the World

Watergaw

See “The Watergaw” by Scottish poet Hugh McDiarmid for a detailed description. You know when you see a rainbow, only to realize that it’s a hypnotic fragment of a rainbow with no pot of gold at the end? That potion of colours is a ‘watergaw’ and emerges after a hefty bout of rain. Do not mistake it for a rainbow.

27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The Weather
Watergaw After A Storm | © Joe Hayhurst / Flickr

Auld wives and pike staves

That is, it is raining cats and dogs!

‘The rain is God’s way o’ cleanin’ the coos’

Every cloud has a glimmer of silver!

‘Cast not a clout till May is oot’

Wise words of counsel. You don’t want to look like “mutton dressed as lamb” by walking around like a fool in sandals that expose your toes when the weather isn’t even fully summer yet! Until the blossoms of May appear, one must be patient.

27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The WeatherYer grandpa’s like the weather — nae pattern!

To say the least, the good old Scottish weather is unpredictable.

27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The Weather
Weather On Skye | © Neil H / Flickr

Topic: 27 Scottish Words And Phrases To Describe The Weather

Participate in Our Community “I Left My Heart in Scotland” .A place where members can open up to one another, share their travel stories and photos, and experience a new way to travel Scotland – together.

By InfoNewsLive

ShareTweetShare
ADVERTISEMENT
Alethea Dilys

Alethea Dilys

Outdoors expert and travel reporter Alicia is an adventurer, trail runner, hiker, and ultramarathoner. She worked as a physical therapist assistant for eight years before becoming a travel writer and a stay-at-home mom to her daughter. Alicia is a fourth-generation Arizona native who has also lived in Utah and Montana. Her happiest moments are spent in the mountains with her family, running long distances on trails and climbing peaks with her infant. Alicia currently resides in Mesa, Arizona with her husband, child, and chocolate lab, Maggie.

Related Posts

Scotland

25 Awesome Things Scotland Gave the World

January 31, 2023
Scotland

10 things people wished they knew before visiting Scotland

January 31, 2023
Scotland

The 20 most beautiful islands to visit in Scotland

January 31, 2023
Scotland

20 Reasons Scotland Is The Greatest Country In The World

January 31, 2023
Scotland

The unicorn – Scotland’s national animal

January 25, 2023
Scotland

The Pros and Cons of Living in Scotland

January 25, 2023
Next Post

The unicorn – Scotland’s national animal

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
The Most Beautiful Small Towns In Scotland - Top 24 Scottish Towns 2023

The Most Beautiful Small Towns In Scotland – Top 24 Scottish Towns 2023

January 13, 2023
The Story Behind Hawaii State Fish

Humuhumunukunukuapua’a – The Story Behind Hawaii State Fish

January 13, 2023
Relax at 10 Best Bars In Waikiki, Honolulu 2023 - Bonus! Top 8 Rooftop Bars in Waikiki

Relax at 10 Best Bars In Waikiki, Honolulu 2023 – Bonus! Top 8 Rooftop Bars in Waikiki

January 13, 2023
Seriously! 26 Things Not To Do In The Netherlands

Seriously! 26 Things Not To Do In The Netherlands

January 13, 2023

Moving to Scotland: 12 Things No-One Tells You About

2
Seriously! 26 Things Not To Do In The Netherlands

Seriously! 26 Things Not To Do In The Netherlands

0
The Story Behind Hawaii State Fish

Humuhumunukunukuapua’a – The Story Behind Hawaii State Fish

0
Relax at 10 Best Bars In Waikiki, Honolulu 2023 - Bonus! Top 8 Rooftop Bars in Waikiki

Relax at 10 Best Bars In Waikiki, Honolulu 2023 – Bonus! Top 8 Rooftop Bars in Waikiki

0

25 Awesome Things Scotland Gave the World

January 31, 2023

10 OF THE MOST UNIQUE FESTIVALS IN THE NETHERLANDS

January 31, 2023

8 Things You Should Never Say to Hawaiians

January 31, 2023

10 things people wished they knew before visiting Scotland

January 31, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
InfoNewsLive

Address: 7 Coronation Road, Launchese, London, NW10 7PQ, UNITED KINGDOM

Contact us: [email protected]

Read more

Categories

  • Australia
  • Hawaii
  • Ireland
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Scotland

© 2023 InfoNewsLive.

No Result
View All Result
  • Hawaii
  • Scotland
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Canada
  • Germany
  • Ireland
  • New Zealand
  • Switzerland
  • Netherlands
  • Contact Us

© 2023 InfoNewsLive.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In