The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-01-01
SCOTCH iDiOMS.
Expressions That Seem Peculiar to One
Not Bred ON the Heather.


Perhaps the commonest errors that
Scotchmen --even well educated Scotch
men-make are in the use of 'shall' and
will. Everybody, we suppose, knows
the good old story of the Scotchman drown
ing in the Thames, who shouts out, II will
be drowned, and nobody shall help me. +"
A well known lady novelist in Scotland
says that her rule for the use of these aux
iliaries is to substitute the one for the other
when correcting her proofsheets. Knowing
that in the heat of composition she is most
likely to use the word that nature prompts,
which, she being Scotch, is nine cases out
of ten likely to be wrong. she thinks her
plan capital substitute for instructive
knowledge.
Scotch people have some curious express
sions in connection with food. Thus they
sup" their broth, and they speak of broth
or porridge in the plural, e. y, I'D like a
few broth or "They are too salt" The
word sweet is applied in ways strange to
English usage as ''sweet butter" for fresh
butter, sweet milk" for new milk. A
soup plate is called a deep plate; broiled
steak is ''branderede" tea is infused" or
more commonly masked" and the kettle
is said ito come 20 the boil In phrases
SlEl ftS DTGHtl anu CtbN1 anu MIN,
bread and cheese, the order of the words is
usually reversed in Scotland. as milk and
bread"
Some Scotch idioms which are in daily
use are exceedingly absurd For instance,
the phrase 1.-THE length of" instead of "as
far as, " is continually used when speaking
of actual distance Viscount Melville, who
was Il thorough Scotchman, once asked
n r. E = ,f
Highgate HILL meaning of course that the
animal was to carry him as far as that
locality. Pitt regretted that he had not a
horse of the required length, but sent him
his longest. 1t is quite common too, to
hear an anxious mother in Scotland telling
her children to "change their feet, instead
of their shoes, on wet day
Besides changing his feet-or himself, as
the expression is when he is thoroughly
wet-a Scotchman does other equally
strange things, or, at all events, speaks of
doing them; such as looking over win
dow, going into box in search of some
thing sitting into the fire when he is cold,
walking through his sleep, sitting under
his clergyman when he attends his church
or putting his horses into his carriage. He
has also the unusual power of being able
to feel spk AS if fearful to commit
himself to 'DHnwarranted statement he
can only say that he is quite better" not
that he is quite we'll
"Honestlike' in Scotland has no moral
significance; it is equivalent to good look
ing When you are failing fast" you are
not on the verge of bankruptcy, rs would
occur to an English ear, but becoming fee
BILE in health When a Scotchman tells
you that he did not mind" what you said
he is not guilty of deliberately paying no
heed to you; his memory only has been at
fault. And Il Scotch father who "chal
Ienges" his son for telling fibs does not
mean to fight him, but merely rebukes
him
The,weather is as much, perhaps more, a
subject of conversation in Scotland as in
England, but Scotchman uses different
terms in characterizing it, Thus he speaks
of a soft day for a rainy day, blowy for
windy weather, fresh for a thaw. 1t
rains hard in Scotland, not fast, and the
weather there is coarse, not rough.-Lon
don Tit-Bits