What does grafting mean? and 10 other Scottish slang explained

The English language is hard enough to learn as a second language, and the Scots have successfully managed to make this task even more difficult by adding in all sorts of phrases and Scottish slang that leave our foreign friends standing with a blank expression and having no clue what has just came out of the Scotsman's gob (mouth). The majority of Scottish people who use these slang don't even know where it all comes from. Lucky for you, I, being a person Scottish myself, have managed to compile a list of some of funny Scottish words and explaining the origins.

Some of them are actually quite fascinating!

1. Chunder

Example: "A cannae down more Sambuca, am gonae chunder".

Meaning: To vomit.

Explanation: In the old days, sailors who became seasick would pop their heads out the porthole and scream "watch down under" to warn the fellow sailors at the lower cabin of the vomit that is coming ahead. 

Overtime this has slowly evolved to today's word "Chunder". "Whitying" and "spewing" are other popular slang used in Scotland to define the action of vomiting.

2. MWI

Example: "Here, I'm game for getting mwi tonight".

Meaning: Abbreviation for "to get Mad Wae It", meaning to get drunk.

Explanation: Just to make it clear, you don't literally pronounce this "mwee" and you don't spell out the letters either. You simple just say the words "Mad wae it" when wanting to use this phrase. The true origin of this word is unknown. However, it is very popular especially amongst the younger Scottish generation. 

Since we are known to love our drinks and get drunk all the time, of course we would have many words to describe this concept: Steaming, wrecked, mortal and the list goes on...

3. Simmer Down

Example: "Simmer down Sheila, a only wanted the one tattie scone"

Meaning: To calm down.

Explanation: The idea behind this phrase is simmering down pasta from hot boiled water down to cold water, much like cooling down somebody's temper. "Take a chill pill" is also another popular phrase with the same definition. 

4. Grafting

Example: "He is pure on the graft, look at him firing through aw the burds"

Meaning: To flirt with someone. 

Explanation: The original word 'Graft' is actually a technique used by gardeners. This is when they try and join the stem of two separate plants together to join then and stimulate the growth of one plant. Much like someone trying to stimulate a potential relationship to become one with an individual of interest through the technique of flirting. 

This is a very popular phrase used in Scotland, but it is also widely used in Irish and English areas.

5. Patter

Example: "That guy's patter wis pure magic"

Meaning: Banter, humour, mannerism. 

Explanation: The original meaning of 'Patter' is the speech that a magician gives before he performs his tricks. It also means the speech that a comedian or other entertainer give in order to attract attention. This is similar to today's meaning of being witty and funny so that other people enjoy your presence. 

Coincidentally enough, this is also the slang word for "boobs" in Danish. 

Now you know what does grafting mean. Of course there are plenty more slang words used in Scotland with fascinating origins. I hope this blog has been useful to you in some way whether you wanted to travel Scotland and see what it’s like, or if you're a Scot wondering why our dialect is so unique. 

Check out my other about idioms in foreign languages!

Saya