Shan

[vuefrom1875]

Some lassie on x factor with that handle...no bad but needs to change her agent....p.s.not my choice of viewing...the wife 😎😎😂😂😂

[Joe6-2]

Some lassie on x factor with that handle...no bad but needs to change her agent....p.s.not my choice of viewing...the wife 😎😎😂😂😂

Aye, ok then ☺️

[Silky]

Aye, ok then ☺️

Bit of a shan thread, really!

[Here’s Lucy!]

Old Edinburgh word. :confused:

Probably not used nowadays.

[Hibbyradge]

Spelt SIAN?

I know at least 2 women named Sian.

[beensaidbefore]

Old Edinburgh word. :confused:

Probably not used nowadays.

Still used by me🤣

[Wee Effen Bee]

Still used by me🤣
And me. What a shan thread😁

[bodhibs]

Shan asf, love these type threads, random 👍

[Liberal Hibby]

It could be worse I went into this chemist the other day near me for some painkillers
21417

[Hibbyradge]

Shan't.

[pollution]

It's a city in Chine. With clay soldiers, Xian.

[pollution]

It's a city in Chine. With clay soldiers, Xian.


China, even. French auto correct.

[Jones28]

On this topic - was at Killie away last year and two lads in the Hibs end were having a right go at one another.

One was calling the other a bowtay (?) - what is that?

[hibsbollah]

Old Edinburgh word. :confused:

Probably not used nowadays.

It still is, by kids especially.

[silverhibee]

That's pure Shan man.

[Mick O'Rourke]

Old Edinburgh word. :confused:

Probably not used nowadays.

Kin ye "mang the cant"?
Shan is originally a romany/traveller word

Not specific to Edinburgh


Hibs were shan in their last home game

[hibsbollah]

Kin ye "mang the cant"?
Shan is originally a romany/traveller word

Not specific to Edinburgh


Hibs were shan in their last home game


That's true, Geordies also say 'Shan'.

[Mick O'Rourke]

[QUOTE=hibsbollah;5607691]That's true, Geordies also say 'Shan'.[/QUOTE



Was going to mention the NE of England
IIRC the character Jimmy Nail in the tv series auf wiedersehen pet used the word

Probably a recognition of his brickwork !

He also said gadgie a lot !!


I am 66 now, and this word and other romany/gypsy terms/words were not uncommon when i was a wee chavvy

[Nakedmanoncrack]

Kin ye "mang the cant"?
Shan is originally a romany/traveller word

Not specific to Edinburgh


Hibs were shan in their last home game

:agree:

Loads of Scots words came from Romany, nash, peeve, hirie being just a handful of others.

[linlithgowhibbie]

:agree:

Loads of Scots words came from Romany, nash, peeve, hirie being just a handful of others.

I can mind nash, peeve and shan. What was hirie?

Can u mind chorey? ( verb to steal) and "Shottey" for "watch out" usually when the police were arriving!!!

[Smartie]

I know a bloke called Shan, he's from Livingston originally. He spells it that way too.

[hibsbollah]

[QUOTE=hibsbollah;5607691]That's true, Geordies also say 'Shan'.[/QUOTE



Was going to mention the NE of England
IIRC the character Jimmy Nail in the tv series auf wiedersehen pet used the word

Probably a recognition of his brickwork !

He also said gadgie a lot !!


I am 66 now, and this word and other romany/gypsy terms/words were not uncommon when i was a wee chavvy




The excellent Geordie ale 'Radgie Gadgie' deserves a mention on this thread. Both words are also derived from Romany,which has its roots in various Hindi dialects and languages.

[Peevemor]

I can mind nash, peeve and shan. What was hirie?

Can u mind chorey? ( verb to steal) and "Shottey" for "watch out" usually when the police were arriving!!!


The same (chourer - to steal) word is used in French slang - it's definitely Romany in origine.

[bodhibs]

I can mind nash, peeve and shan. What was hirie?

Can u mind chorey? ( verb to steal) and "Shottey" for "watch out" usually when the police were arriving!!!

Did Irvine Welsh not write about hiries? Never used it but always took it to mean cash

[heretoday]

There's a family in Leith called Shan I think.

[Mick O'Rourke]

[QUOTE=Mick O'Rourke;5607701]

The excellent Geordie ale 'Radgie Gadgie' deserves a mention on this thread. Both words are also derived from Romany,which has its roots in various Hindi dialects and languages.

Indeed, the roots are Indian.
Had me thinking.
Over 30 yr ago i was working in Northampton.
My wifes brother and me were in a boozer called the King Billy (naw,no that one !

Group at the next table after we sat down proceeded to converse in the Cant.

I started to laugh a wee bit.
I understood near every word.
(bar a bit of accent/dialect)
Eventually got chatting and my brother in law later on sold them a caravan that was used on the building site he was the gaffer on.
They were travellers,of course.

I translated the negotiation.
Barry deal.

[Montford]

Sha hoor...
hiries and lowie was always money
and Mort.. as in bird
“Barry deekin mort gadge”

[Nakedmanoncrack]

Sha hoor...
hiries and lowie was always money
and Mort.. as in bird
“Barry deekin mort gadge”

Mort is a good one, deek is another.
Its amazing how many of these words are in use, but few probably recognise where they come from.

[son of haggart]

My favourite Edinburgh book, from which I took my user name, is full of Romany derived words which were taken into slang.

It can be read here - it's an enjoyable romp and the report of his trial in the Scotsman is a hoot if you can find it . George Borrow refers to him in Lavengro - his Romany novel, though Haggart himself Ii don't think was of Romany extraction. I have an 1821 copy of the book which also has a phrenologist report which he allowed to happen while he awaited execution.

https://archive.org/details/b24930052/page/56

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Haggart,_David_(DNB00)

There's a glossary at the end full of the slang of the day

https://archive.org/details/b24930052/page/172

It includes words like 'kipping' for playing truant which we still used at porty school in the 60s/ 70s



...anyway Shan is out of the X Factor which just shows how crap the show is

[vahibbie]

On this topic - was at Killie away last year and two lads in the Hibs end were having a right go at one another.

One was calling the other a bowtay (?) - what is that?

Might have been Bow-Tow, as in one who hails from Newhaven.

[Nakedmanoncrack]

Might have been Bow-Tow, as in one who hails from Newhaven.

https://vimeo.com/116247684

[surreyhibbie]

My favourite Edinburgh book, from which I took my user name, is full of Romany derived words which were taken into slang.

It can be read here - it's an enjoyable romp and the report of his trial in the Scotsman is a hoot if you can find it . George Borrow refers to him in Lavengro - his Romany novel, though Haggart himself Ii don't think was of Romany extraction. I have an 1821 copy of the book which also has a phrenologist report which he allowed to happen while he awaited execution.

https://archive.org/details/b24930052/page/56

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Haggart,_David_(DNB00)

There's a glossary at the end full of the slang of the day

https://archive.org/details/b24930052/page/172

It includes words like 'kipping' for playing truant which we still used at porty school in the 60s/ 70s



...anyway Shan is out of the X Factor which just shows how crap the show is


That is a very interesting read!

:thumbsup:

[Here’s Lucy!]

:agree:

Loads of Scots words came from Romany, nash, peeve, hirie being just a handful of others.

Was 'nash' slang for hurry?

Peeve for drink?

Hiries was money, I think?

[Santa Cruz]

My Dad and Uncle use the phrase murder polis which I have always taken to mean ultra shan. Now I say murder polis myself quite a lot but don't actually know the true meaning behind it, if it is unique to Edinburgh or where it's derived from... anyone able to enlighten me, so I can continue the family tradition and pass this phrase down the generations

[Hibbyradge]

My Dad and Uncle use the phrase murder polis which I have always taken to mean ultra shan. Now I say murder polis myself quite a lot but don't actually know the true meaning behind it, if it is unique to Edinburgh or where it's derived from... anyone able to enlighten me, so I can continue the family tradition and pass this phrase down the generations

I think it's a more recent expression. Possibly off the telly.

[Here’s Lucy!]

My Dad and Uncle use the phrase murder polis which I have always taken to mean ultra shan. Now I say murder polis myself quite a lot but don't actually know the true meaning behind it, if it is unique to Edinburgh or where it's derived from... anyone able to enlighten me, so I can continue the family tradition and pass this phrase down the generations


I think it's a more recent expression. Possibly off the telly.

It's not recent. My old mum used to say 'murder polis' years ago. She used it when she meant something was really horrendous.

[s.a.m]

My grandparents (Lanarkshire, and they'd be about 120 if they were still alive) used to say it, generally as an kind of horrified exclamation.. As I remember, they used to say, "Murder polis - three stairs up!', and I have a vague memory of a longer version. I wonder if it was a popular song, or rhyme :dunno:


Edit: I've had a look, and the School of Scottish Studies has this recording, made in 1954:

http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/3810/9

[Santa Cruz]

My grandparents (Lanarkshire, and they'd be about 120 if they were still alive) used to say it, generally as an kind of horrified exclamation.. As I remember, they used to say, "Murder polis - three stairs up!', and I have a vague memory of a longer version. I wonder if it was a popular song, or rhyme :dunno:


Edit: I've had a look, and the School of Scottish Studies has this recording, made in 1954:

http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/3810/9


interesting. Never heard the song. Thanks for the info.

[WoreTheGreen]

My grandparents (Lanarkshire, and they'd be about 120 if they were still alive) used to say it, generally as an kind of horrified exclamation.. As I remember, they used to say, "Murder polis - three stairs up!', and I have a vague memory of a longer version. I wonder if it was a popular song, or rhyme :dunno:


Edit: I've had a look, and the School of Scottish Studies has this recording, made in 1954:

http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/3810/9

I think Hector Nicol used that a lot

[Nakedmanoncrack]

Was 'nash' slang for hurry?

Peeve for drink?

Hiries was money, I think?

:agree:

[beensaidbefore]

Is dingy, akin to slinging a deafie, an Edinburgh word? Or it used elsewhere?

[Montford]

Is dingy, akin to slinging a deafie, an Edinburgh word? Or it used elsewhere?

Also hear it in fife.. to blank or ignore..
Ma mort was phonin us but I just dingied the call

[sadtom]

I was told many years ago that 'radge' definitely had originated in the Romany community.
The most plausible root is that it came for the french word for rabies/rabid (rage/enrage).

[Iggy Pope]

“Barry fir yer naggins gadgie” was something very pleasing indeed to oneself and the heid in any form.
“Radge” very definitely meant being off that heid in various forms. Fay Fife did it best. “Gauny go crazy, gauny go radge”.
“Murder Polis” is very much of the “Jings, Crivvens and Help Ma Boab” school of shouting about nothing at all.
Never choried this.

[Babyshamble]

Ma laddie moved to Edinburgh 2 years ago for uni.uses the word Shan all the time 👍

[Clarence]

I’ve always loved the word. It can be used in a very disparate set of circumstances. Two examples from my you:
“How’s Dave no comin oot tar play?”
“His Granny’s deid”
“Aw that’s shan”

Or

“What do you think of my new trainers, they’re Hi-tec?”
“Shan”

I was in Thailand for my honeymoon and I stumbled across a Shan village that had Shan people in it:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shan_people

[Babyshamble]

I’ve always loved the word. It can be used in a very disparate set of circumstances. Two examples from my you:
“How’s Dave no comin oot tar play?”
“His Granny’s deid”
“Aw that’s shan”

Or

“What do you think of my new trainers, they’re Hi-tec?”
“Shan”

I was in Thailand for my honeymoon and I stumbled across a Shan village that had Shan people in it:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shan_people ma laddie favourite saying just now with anything he disagrees with...that's pure Shan patter 😂

[Babyshamble]

I'm a fifer.lot of folk round my way use the word Barry.