Customer Reviews

Haud Yer Wheesht!: Your Scottish Granny's Favorite Sayings

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is one of the smallest books I have ever read, and was amusingly illustrated by Rupert Besley, who has worked on several other Scottish humor books. The book has over 500 sayings in Lollands (Lowland Scots English -- Robert Burn's language) grouped into 34 categories such as Business, Death, Observations on Life, Love, Marriage, Money, and Work. A one-page glossary of a few of the Scots words is included, but readers unfamiliar with Scots English would be advised to also have Collins' "Scots Dictionary" handy for some of the other words not listed. Under each proverb is the author's interpretation of the meaning, usually based on the category it is filed under. I did not always agree with Mr. Morrison's "translation", as I felt many of the sayings had broader applications than he allowed, or the translations could have been phrased differently to better bring out the point of the proverb. But that is minor quibbling over personal taste. The real beauty of the book is that, here in one slim volume, are several generations worth of shrewd comments on life, as seen through the eyes of our Scottish ancestors. I found it interesting that many sayings I have seen elsewhere called "old English proverbs" had a close relative in Scots. It makes one wonder which actually came first, and whether the saying is actually English, or has been misattributed. All-in-all a fun little book, and a great "bathroom reader". If nothing else, it will help you practice sounding like a canny auld Scot! [This review appeared in somewhat different form in the March issue of "The Tartan Tattler", the newsletter of the Scottish Club Of Tulsa.]

More of a humorous look on Scotland and the oddball sayings you heard your Gran pronounce at every turn. Billed as "gannies' common sense", Scottish grannies are known for taking every thing in stride and always have a saying for each situation. The wee look into these staid philosophises that anchored a way of life is a delight. Accompanying the sayings are cute pen and ink cartoons.

This slim book has over 500 sayings and is a great present for that Yank with Scottish roots!

I love Allan Morrison's wee little books with Scottish colloquialisms. This one is quite a little gem, especially if you're trying SASL. (Scots As a Second Language ;-)

It's neat, compact, cute, hilarious, easily fits in your pocket and comes complete with a glossary (something curiously lacking in some other Scottish tomes). I'd also like to add that learning even a handful of these little sayings to memory will endear you to any Scot. A couple of favorites:

"De ye think I'm up the Clyde on a bike?"
(Do you think I'm an idiot?)

"Sodgers wi' big guns beat sodgers wi' pretty dresses."
(Being practical is more important than being presentable)

"Som would flay a louse fer it's skin."
(Some people are so mean that they'd skin a flea for it's skin).

A true delight, well worth the money and easy to understand. A charming volume for anyone studying Scots.

If I had had this translation of granny's sayings when I was a kid I might have endured fewer raps on the head. This is a great little book, especially if you had a Scottish granny like I did.

This is a great series of books. I thoroughly enjoyed them. It brought back memories of my childhood in Scotland.

I had to put a star in a box or my review would not be sent - really it does not deserve one star. I am disappointed that I have yet to receive this item. I did order through Amazon and received all the other books which I did order and in a resonable time. But this item is now 8 days past the last date scheduled for arrival. I will not order from Amazon until this is resolved even though the price was minimal! During the year I purchase a great deal of reading material from various sources and this is the first time an item did not arrive.

The book was not what I expected. I didn't find the book to be very clever or humorous. It was a disappointment.