THERE'S hunners o braw Scots wirds an phrases tae talk aboot the weather. Here, I’ll write oot a few o them, an you can write yer ain definitions. Get yersel a vocab jotter, an note doon the wirds. 

Oor challenege is tae then tak thae wirds an pit them intae a description o the weather whaurever it is ye bide! I’ve gied ye an exaimple doon ablow. But first, ging through the Scots weather wirds. 

The online Scots dictonary is at Dsl.ac.uk. Ging owre there, search fir the wirds ye arnae familiar wi, an write doon definitions. I’ve pit some quotes fae literature tae illustrate the wirds in sentences. 

Scots wirds: 

  • Dreich - it was late at nicht, it was dreich and the rain was beginning to come doon (The Angel of Death, Sheena Blackhall) 
  • cauld
  • Snaw 
  • Bleeter 
  • Haar
  • Bleeter 
  • On-ding 
  • Stottin doon 
  • Pishin doon - Ah'm no bothered but; ah pill masel intae the troosers, ma feet cauld n wet oan the rain soaked, mucky groond cause its been pishin doon (Skagboys, Irvine Welsh) 
  • Smirr 
  • Smizzle 
  • Hail-watter - The rain, which fell almost in hale water...has washed away half the school masters kail-yard (Glenfergus, Robert Mudie)
  • Bilin 
  • Braw 
  • Brammer 
  • Bricht 
  • Waarm 
  • Snell 
  • Bleak - December’s win’s ensuing, Baith snell an’ keen! (Burns, To a Mouse) 

Sae, note doon yer definitions o the wirds aboon. If ye dinnae ken twa-three o them, dinnae worry! Some arnae common. Just luik them up at dsl.ac.uk, an get the definitions there. 

Noo we hae oor vocabulary, let’s pit it intae sentences. I’ll dae a wee exaimple here:

I’m bidin the noo in the Mearns. It’s awfy dry here, though whiles ye get a thick harr aff the sea. The rain’s aye dingin-doon on the hills awa tae the west, sae we maistly dinnae get mair then a wee smirr o it as it gangs oot tae sea. There no mony trees aboot, sae the wind blaws snell owre the fields. 

Gie us yer ain examples in the comments, just twa or three sentences is fine, an I’ll try tae gie yous aa feedback!