Dundee’s love for humour, music and dancing
In Dundee, a collective sense of humour means daily life is never dull. This panel spotlights evolving aspects of Dundee’s culture, alongside a selection of words and phrases in Dundee dialect, inspired by the works of local author and journalist Norman Watson. To help you enjoy this panel in full, we’ve ‘translated’ the words and phrases stitched on it.
Baffies – Slippers
Bidie in – Live-in partner
Brah day, is it? – It’s a lovely day
Breeks – Trousers
Bunker – Coal store (indoors or outdoors)
Circul – Traffic roundabout
Cloot – Cloth
Closie – Shared access in a tenement block (including the stairs)
Cundie – Drain
Denner – Dinner
Eh’m a Dee till eh deh – I’m a Dundee football fan until I die
Eh’m fair puggled – I’m exhausted
Eh’ve got the boak – I’m feeling sick
Ehe’i’a halfloaf plen – I’ll have a plain half loaf
Fleg – A fright
Gaun yersel! – Go for it!
Geez a keek – Let me have a look
Geez a plehn ane, an’ an ingin’ ane an’ a? – Can I have a plain pie (or bridie) and an onion one as well
Geez a skiffy – Give me a clue
Glaikit – Foolish, silly or thoughtless
Haivir – To talk rubbish
Heez affy oary – He’s very common or rough
He’s a ke-ul biler – He’s a kettle boiler (a stay-at-home husband)
It’s barkit – It’s filthy
Jings, crivens, help ma Boab! – Oh my goodness!
Lobbie (or Lobby) – The hallway or passageway inside a flat or house
Midden – A pile of rubbish
Oxter – Under-arm
Pleh’y – A ‘plettie’ is a long external landing (attached to the stairs) that ran behind tenement buildings, connecting up to four or five flats on each floor.
Saffy cahld – It’s awful cold
Stervin – Starving
Sweemin – Swimming
The Tully – ‘Evening Telegraph’ (a local Dundee paper)
Twa jeelie pieces, pleeze – Two jam sandwiches, please
Twuz name – What’s its name?
Weemin – Women
Whit a fairdee gowk – What a scaredy cat
Yir on – Agreed
’Znarab – He’s an Arab (how Dundee FC fans describe a Dundee United fan)