Friday, November 15, 2019

The Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language

I recently acquired the early 19th century etymological dictionary of the Scottish language by Jamieson and found it very resourceful in reading such delightful novels as The Brownie of Bodsbeck by James Hogg.  
When the political forces do not support us, the spiritual forces will.
A bit of oversimplification of a plot element.

Getting back to the dictionary, Hogg uses the word whilk.  What's a whilk?  The dictionary takes me to Quhilk with a definition of a pronoun meaning which or who under the alternate spelling of quhilk and references to several works that use the same term.
The quotations require further ventures in the dictionary since old Scots is not my native tongue.

Mull of Kintyre

One more opportunity to enjoy cheese from the Mull of Kintyre with Scotch whisky..
Our latest Scotch tasting/Murder Mystery dinners once more enjoyed a sampling of Campbletown Single Malts.  Glen Scotia is now distributing a new variety of whisky and I highly recommend the Victoriana bottles.  The extra charring of the barrels produces a much more interesting whisky.  This old distillery was out of business for a while.  Try it now.  You will like it.