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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
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Lee Dalgetty

Legendary Edinburgh words and phrases that only a local will know

Across the UK, every area has its own way of speaking - and their own set of words that are hard to wrap your head around if you're not from there.

Here in Auld Reekie our dictionary includes some phrases that are a little confusing, but if you know how to use them you're either a local or an Edinburgh loyal.

We've compiled a list of some of the most unusual slang from around the capital, so test your knowledge below.

Radge

If anyone has ever called you a radge and you didn’t understand - we apologise.

This phrase refers to a person who acts intensely, angrily and maybe a little bit mad.

If you’ve ever had ten tequila shots and screamed at a bouncer, you just might be a bit of a radge.

Chored

A word that means something completely different in Edinburgh than other parts of the UK.

While most would use ‘chore’ in reference to household tasks or something that requires effort, in the capital it would describe the act of stealing.

For example: “She chored my wine while I was in the toilet.”

Shan

Expect confusion if using this word outside of Edinburgh.

Shan describes something that is bad, sad, unkind, unfair, or generally negative.

A versatile phrase, shan could apply to a grim looking meal or your car breaking down - basically it can be applied to anything that’s a bit rubbish.

Example sentence: "The weather's totally shan the day".

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Scooby

This one could be a bit of stolen Cockney rhyming slang.

Scooby Doo rhymes with clue - which is exactly what one doesn’t have, if they don’t have a scooby.

This can also be extended to scoobied, referring to when a person is unaware or clueless to a situation.

If someone were to ask you when the next number 16 bus was due, and you didn’t know, you could answer: “I don’t have a scooby.”

Spraff

This one is a little off the beaten path.

The roots are unclear, but I could be spraffing here.

If you haven’t cottoned on yet, to spraff is to talk either too much or absolute nonsense.

We’ve all got one friend that tends to spraff on a daily basis - so if you didn’t know this word already, enjoy using it to point that out.

Nash

Unfortunately nash has dwindled in use over the years, and isn’t heard as often these days.

The definition of the word is to move quickly, to run, or disappear.

To use in a sentence: “Nash round the shops and grab me a coffee.”

To extend, one could also use the phrase nashed - to describe a time when you moved quickly.

Pie

No, not the delicious pastry based food.

In fact, in Edinburgh if you’ve been “pied” you’d be far less satisfied - as we use this phrase when snubbed.

To be pied would be when someone ignores you, either in person or through text.

Usually this is applied to love interests, though could also apply to wider circles.

Let's look at an example: “I don’t know why he matched with me on Tinder just to pie me.”

Gadgie

Originally used to describe someone who lives in the city centre, gadgie has become more of an insult over time.

Usually used to refer to the male of the species, gadgie can still be heard on the streets today, but has also evolved into a suggestion that someone is lacking in education and ambition - a bit of a ‘loser’.

Barry

The polar opposite of shan, barry describes something that is better than good - maybe even better than great.

When you get the perfect chips with salt and sauce on a summer's day, you’d probably describe that as barry.

The phrase was borrowed from the Romani word barri, which means big or great.

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