What makes any language unique is its lexicon or vocabulary. Some of Ulster-Scots more interesting words are difficult to translate into a few words of English but I hope I have done them justice. Included below are just a few words to get you started. These are all words which I have plucked from my own experience of the language and are spoken frequently in day to day life in and around Ballymoney and elsewhere. Try pronouncing the words yourself and then use the examples when you get stuck or to see how you did.
I would like to thank my dad Andrew Archibald, my sisters Louise and Claire Archibald, my aunt Karen Cairns and friend Ian McClure for their assistance in adding some of the audio clips used here and indeed throughout the guide.
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| Ullans / Ulstèr-Scotch | English / Inglis | Examples |
| A | . | . |
| Adae (wi) | to do (with); about | "Adae wi thon girden" |
| Ay | yes; I see; oh well | "Ay it's gye waarm" - "Ay" |
| Aye | always; constantly | " 'ey's aye up tae sum'hin" |
| B | . | . |
| Bleenge | to project an object (usually a ball) with great speed | " 'ey qwerly bleenged thon ball!" |
| Blether | to talk nonsense; someone who talks nonsense | "Shey's a wile blether" |
| Blouchter | cough (usually phlegm involved :) | "Thon blouchter'n 'd turn ye!" |
| Blurt | git | "Ugh, 'ey's an ignorant oul blurt!" |
| Bodie | A person, usually a man | " 'ey daes naethin bot santer, thon bodie, hi" |
| Brev / brave | splendid; excellent; fine | "Thon's a brave yin theday!" |
| Bumfle | (noun) irregular shapen lump; (verb) fidget in a disruptive manner | "Ye hae aal thaim cuushens bumfl't aff thon chair!" |
| C | . | . |
| Carnaptious | grumpy; irritable | "Shey's wile carnaptious" |
| Clabber | muck, dirt, excrement | "Them troosers is aal clabber" |
| Clarry | smear in muck or other slime | " 'ey cum in clarryt" |
| Clat | a dirty person | "Ye dirty clat!" |
| Cleek | to catch (on something), to snag | "Waatch an naw cleek on thon hannel" |
| Clem | a stupid or foolish person | "Tha clem cunnae even see thon" |
| Clod | to throw | "Tha weans's aye oot cloddin stanes" |
| Clype | (noun)a tell tale; (verb) the act of telling tales | "Hae you clypt on me?" |
| Coggly | wobbly or unsteady | "Thon tebal's a bit coggly lukin" |
| Coom | very fine dust. Usually "peat coom", the fine dust from turf | "Thir's coom aal owre tha fireplace" |
| Cope | to knock over or overturn | " 'ey clean coped me" |
| Crayk | to cry or moan about something | "Wull ye gie owre wi thon craykin?" |
| Crack | good fun; gossip; state of affairs | "whut's tha crack wi ye?" |
| Cretur | poor thing, unfortunate; creature | "Shey wuz hung'rt, tha cretur" |
| Creesh | grease, lard | "D'ye waant creesh owre yir spuds?" |
| D | . | . |
| Danner | stroll, saunter | "Ir yez g'n oot a danner?" |
| Dotin | going senile; to have been misled | "Ugh, yir dotin!" |
| Dour | boring; slow on uptake; sullen; reluctant; bleak (of weather) | "Ugh, 'ey's aye bin as dour as bedammits!" |
| Drooth | thirst (note usage >>) | "A hae a brave drooth on me!" |
| Dulce | eadible seaweed | "Gie's a bit a dulce, hi" |
| Dunner | a loud rumbling or battering noise | "A fell a qwer dunner, hi!" |
| Dunt | bump | "A duntit thon thing an it fell" |
| E | . | . |
| Eejit | a fool or simpleton | "Boys bot yir a big eejit!" |
| F | . | . |
| Footer | potter; work in a fiddling time wasting way | "whut ir ye footerin at?" |
| G | . | . |
| Gansh | (noun) someone who talks too much; (verb)to talk too much | "Whut ir ye ganshin aboot?" |
| Gawk | a good stare to take in any action | "Wull d'ye get a guid gawk at 'im?" |
| Geegit | gigglish; easily made laugh | "Yin's as geegit as tha ither" |
| Gillik | an earwig | "Puut thon gillik oot, wud ye" |
| Glar | muck, dirt+ | +Gleed+ |
| Gumption | commom sense | "Hae ye nae gumption?" |
| Gunk | a short, sharp shock; shocking news | "A wuz qwerly gunkt tae hear thon" |
| Gurry | gnaw or chew vigorously | "It's giein thon thing a brev gurryin!" |
| Gye | very; of considerable quantity | "Ay it's gye waarm" - "Ay" |
| Gype | (noun) a fool / clown; (verb) to clown around in a manner such as might cause injury to yourself or others | "Mynn youse nae gypin!" |
| H | . | . |
| Haach / Haagh | clear the throat or cough in a disgusting manner | "Haach it up, it'll dae tha cat" |
| Haet | a very small piece / particle; (modern) an atom | "whut'd 'ey lee ye?" - "Ugh, Naw a haet!" |
| Hash | a mess; work in a messy way | "Redd thon hash up, wud ye" |
| Hauchle | (verb)walk slowly / awkwardly; hobble; totter; (noun)a clumsy awkward / messy person | "Wey'll hauchle on here" |
| Heugh | a lively call usually made along with traditional music and dance | "Gie us a heugh!" |
| Hoke | to forage or poke around | "A'll hae a hoke for it later" |
| I | . | . |
| Ill-lukin | ugly | "Thon's a wile ill-lukin bodie!" |
| Insense | to explain; to get through to | "A cunnae insense it intae 'im" |
| J | . | . |
| Jap | splash | "Ye get japt wile aise wi tha fryin pan" |
| Jeuk | duck down or out of sight; avoid | "Wey jeukt in tae hide fae yir man" |
| Jibble | dribble; spill | "A jibbl't me tae owre tha fluir" |
| Joogins | pieces; insides | "Tha joogins is hingin oot a it" |
| Jundy | shake or nudge (usually resulting in a spill) | "Dinnae jundy mey while A drink mae tae!" |
| K | . | . |
| Keeho | a (loud) laugh | "Listen tae tha keehos a them" |
| Keek | peep; look round a corner or other obstacle | "Tak a keek an see if ye see 'im" |
| Kepp | to drive cattle | "Kep thon coo!" |
| L | . | . |
| Lauch | laugh | "A laucht maesell intae a lousness" |
| Lousness | a relaxed state with lack of muscular control | "A laucht maesell intae a lousness" |
| M | . | . |
| Miscaa | verbally abuse or slander | " 'ey miscaad 'er tae tha lowest" |
| Mismade / mismak | used in the phrase opposite to mean that you aren't bothered by something or someone | "A niver mismade maesell" |
| Moochty | spoilt by damp; mouldy | "Dinnae lee them thonner, they'll g'moochty!" |
| Moss | bogland or moorland | "Waakin doon an oul moss rodden" |
| Mynn | remember; have mind of; take care | "Mynn youse nae gypin!" |
| N | . | . |
| Nae | none | "Wey hae nae breed in" |
| Naw | no; not | "A'm naw gan theday" |
| Nyirp | complain or moan incessantly | "Quet thon nyirpin youse!" |
| Nyuck | steal; 'nick' | "D'you nyuck thon?" |
| O | . | . |
| Oxter | (noun)armpits; (verb) to move someone by arms under their armpits | "Tha police oxtert 'im oot" |
| Owre | over; too (frequently with the negative) | "Shey's naw owre waarm theday" |
| P | . | . |
| Pleuter | move or work aimlessly, usually in water | "Well, ye wull pleuter in them puddles" |
| Plump | a great deluge of rain | "It cum on a qwer plump an A cum in sapplin" |
| Pouk | pluck; tug; twitch | "Mae hair wuz aal poukt" |
| Q | . | . |
| Qwer | considerable; very; odd | "Spose it dinged yir motor?" - "Well ay, shey hit mey a qwer sough, hi!" |
| R | . | . |
| Raven | (very) hungry | "A wuz that raven hi, A cud a et horse an cairt" |
| Redd | clear or clean up | "Redd thon hash up, wud ye" |
| Reek | thick smoke; to smoke | "Tha reek fae thon fire'd cope ye!" |
| Rodden | a lane or dirt track | "Waakin doon an oul moss rodden" |
| S | . | . |
| Sally | willow | "Mae ma hit me wi tha sally rod" |
| Santer | speak in a rambling manner | " 'ey daes naethin but santer, thon bodie, hi" |
| Sapplin | completely drenched; soaked | "It cum on a qwer plump an A cum in sapplin" |
| Scad | hint of a certain colour or shade | "Ay thir's a funny scad aff it" |
| Scran | food (slang) | "Whur's mae scran?" |
| Screigh | scream; 'Screigh a day' = very early / sunrise | "Ye'd a herd tha screighs a 'er far aneuch" |
| Scunge | explore; gallivant | "Tha weefla's aye oot scungin" |
| Sham | "mate", person. Abbreviation of 'shambodie' | "Hi ye daein sham!" |
| Sheufty | move in a sliding motion; push | "Gie 'im a sheufty" |
| Sheugh | a drainage channel | "As lazy as sheugh waater" |
| Skellie / Skillie | a sideways glance, usually from the corner of the eye | "Luk at tha skellies a 'im" |
| Skelf | a splinter (usually of wood) | "Ah! A gut a skelf aff thon fence" |
| Skelp | a slap | "Shey hit 'im a qwer skelp!" |
| Skite | dart through the air suddenly, often at a slant; slip or slide; a slap | "Waatch ur thon'll skite fae b'low ye!" |
| Skitter | a brat; diahorea | "cum 'ere ye wee skitter!" |
| Skunner | sicken or bore; someone who is disliked | "Thon bodie's a wile skunneration" |
| Slarry | to smear or spread mud or other unpleasant mess around | "The wean slarried aal tha choclat roon its face" |
| Slater | a woodlouse | "Slaters lik an oul moochty place" |
| Sleekit | slymy, secretive | "Thir baein wile sleekit aboot it wull" |
| Sough | slap; rushing or roaring sound; throw | "Spose it dinged yir motor?" - "Well ay, shey hit mey a qwer sough, hi!" |
| Spelder | to pull muscles or injure oneself, usually by doing the splits | "Shey speldert 'ersell owre tha sheugh" |
| Spraachle | clamber or attempt to correct one's balance awkwardly | " 'ey got 'imsell spraachlt oot o it in tha hinn'renn" |
| Stane | a stone | "Tha weans's aye oot cloddin stanes" |
| Steugh | smog; oily, dense fumes | "Thon's a qwer steugh!" |
| Stime | a small particle, of dust or whatever | "A cannae see a stime!" |
| Strone | a stream of water striking a body of water or the noise thereof | "Listen tae tha strones a thon" |
| Stroop | a spout, on a kettle for instance | "Tha waater wud poor better if ye'd a stroop on thon" |
| Stuke | a fool | "Boys bot yir a sore stuke!" |
| T | . | . |
| Thaveless | incompetent; useless | "Ugh, yir thaveless!" |
| Thole | put up with; to endure or bear | "A cunnae thole thon boy fur any lenth a time" |
| Thon | that (not dependent form) | "Adae wi thon girden" |
| Thonner | over there | "Wud ye luk at thon thonner!" |
| Thran | awkward (of a person); twisted; stubborn | "As thran as beddammits!" |
| Thruither | disorganised | " 'ey's a wile thruither bodie" |
| Tober | disciplined; punished | "Thir in need a a guid run a toberin" |
| Treg | to be dragged reluctantly; to carry unwanted objects inside | "Ugh luk, ye hae tregged thon clabber aal owre tha carpet!" |
| U | . | . |
| V | . | . |
| W | . | . |
| Wean | a child | "Tha weans's aye oot cloddin stanes" |
| Weefla | a boy | "Tha weefla's aye oot scungin" |
| Wheen | a few; a number of | "a wheen a sweeties" |
| Wheesht | be quiet! | "Houl yir wheesht!" |
| Whin | gorse bush | "A see tha whins's oot" |
| Wile | terrible; wild; extremely; very | "Shey's a wile blether" |
| W'lass | a girl | "Whur's tha w'lass at theday?" |
| X | . | . |
| Y | . | . |
| Yella man | confectionery like honeycomb found at the "Oul Lammas Fair" in Ballycastle | "Hae ye any yella man on ye?" |
| Yin | one (note that there are times when this is not simply interchangable with 'wan' | "Thon's a brave yin theday!" |
| Yo | a female sheep (a ewe) | "g'efter thon yo, wud ye" |
| Z | . | . |
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