Fife Folklore, Fishing in Fife - Working Clothes

Fisher-folk, more than most, commented on the weather, since it affected their lives and their livelihood. Some of the words and phrases they used were:

Coorse w’ather, wild and stormy.

Thick w‘ather, fFoggy.

A gell o’ wund, a real gale.

A boust’rous wund, a boisterous wind, but not a gale.

An awfu’ cairry on the sky, the clouds moving very fast, indicating that windy weather could be expected.

A flan, a light wind, seeming to come from nowhere. A flanny wund was a wind that came and went repeatedly, but not so strongly as a gusty wind.

Aflan o’ reek was a sudden puff of smoke down the chimney. (The Norwegian word flana is used for the light wind that comes down on to the sea from high land).

A daak, was a lull in the wind for a short time.

It daakit awa’, the wind quietened down.

A haar, a llight wind bringing dampness, light fog, etc., during summery weather.

A plout o’ rain, a sudden heavy shower.

Spitterin‘, a very light shower.

Plashin’ o’ rain, raining heavily. I’m plashin’ or I’m plashin’ o’ weet meant, I’m soaked.

Drookit, drenched. I’m like a drookit moose.

Scoog, shelter. I scoogit in a shop door, or gi’es a scoog alow yer umbarella.

Gnirl’t, chilled, cowering with cold.

Stervin’ o’ cauld, extremly cold. It’s stervation ootside. It’s extremely cold outside.

It’s skinnin, it’s very cold.

Howster’t wi’ claes, wearing so many clothes that movement is difficult.

Dreich, dreary, colourless and cold.

A glisk o’ the sun, a glimpse of the sun.

Mauchless, helpless because of the hot sticky weather.

Drooth, drying. A grand drooth, nae drooth, or a dirty drooth were all of perennial interest because of the need to dry the nets, and because of the huge washings of clothes. A drooth, however, could also be someone who
drank too much.

A dirty mune, a sure sign of rain.

A w’ather gaw, a partial rainbow, foretelling rain.

Big spats, shune dry, a shower of big raindrops is soon over.

Clear I’ the sooth droons the plooman, to see the land on the south side of the Forth too clearly is a sure sign of rain.

Rain afore seeven, fair afore eleeven.

Mackerel skies an’ mare’s tails,

Mak’ muckle ships tak’ little sails, dark blue-grey skies, or long wispy clouds foretell wind.

The coo cauk o’ Mey, a very cold period in May, lasting for several days.

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