Home» Word of the Month» March 2009

Scots Word for March

Blaw, Blaa, or Blauve

blyauvin
In March we can expect windy days and Scots is not short of words to describe cauld souchs. The variations in Scots words translating English 'blow' allow us to identify the afflicted area. While blaw is usual in west and central Scotland, blaa will be heard more in the east. The north-east is often the home of distinctive forms and there you might hear or read blyave or blyauve as in the Aberdeen Weekly Journal (14 March 1929): 'Tho' we hid some bits o' storms an' some blyauvin', we hinna hid a storm' at lay as lang as that did'.

A gandaguster or gandiegow is a strong, sudden gust or a storm of short duration. You can almost feel the wind buffet and swirl in the word. Law, a blast or squall of wind, is used by Walter Scott in The Antiquary (1816); 'Skirling like an auld skart [cormorant] before a flaw o' weather'. Rather more specialised is flan, describing a down-draught to trouble housewives, sailors and gardeners alike. The Banffshire Journal (25 February 1879) reported that 'A flan cam doon the lum an' blew The ase a' ben the fleer [The ash all inwards onto the floor]. J Brand in Description of the Countrey of Zetland (1701) warns 'tho the Wind be not so strong, there will come Flans and Blasts off the Land as to their swiftness and surprisal something like to Hurricanes'. As every gardener, including J. Justice, author of The Scots Gardiners Director (1754), knows 'A Flann of rancid Dung steam will destroy a whole crop of those early Cucumber plants'. A bluister is a violent, squally wind and R. Wanlock in Moorland Rhymes (1874) gives a pessimistic view of Scottish weather, stating, 'There's three months o' bluister tae ilk' ane o' sun'.

The Scots column is written by Christine Robinson. You can contact her with any questions.