Glasgow words & sayings
Awright? A light-hearted guide to the Glaswegian words, sayings and local lore you'll come across in the city and around it, and how (not) to use them on a date.
Glasgow words and sayings
- Gallus
- Bold, confident and a bit cheeky. From a Glaswegian, it's usually a compliment.
- In dating: A wee bit of gallus confidence goes a long way on a first date.
- Wee
- Small, but used for just about everything, whatever its size.
- In dating: "Fancy a wee drink?" is the most Glasgow first date invitation there is.
- Pure dead brilliant
- Absolutely brilliant. Putting "pure" in front of anything makes it more so.
- In dating: What you want your pals to say when you tell them about your first date.
- Blether
- A good long chat, or someone who talks a lot.
- In dating: A proper blether over a coffee is a great first date.
- Scran
- Food.
- In dating: Good scran and good chat...that's a first date sorted.
- Messages
- Your shopping. "Going for the messages" means going to the shops.
- In dating: Bumping into someone while you're doing your messages still counts as meeting locally.
- Bampot
- An idiot, or someone a bit daft, usually said with some affection.
- In dating: Best avoided on a first date. Unless it's you, and they like that.
- Winching
- Going out with someone, or kissing. "Are they winching?"
- In dating: The whole point, eventually.
- Taps aff
- Tops off. The Glasgow response to any day that's even slightly warm.
- In dating: Maybe save that for the fifth date.
- Dreich
- Dull, grey and damp weather. A well-used Scots word in the west.
- In dating: A dreich day is the perfect excuse for a cosy café.
Glasgow lore and local favourites
- The Dear Green Place
- A popular meaning of the city's name, from the old Gaelic. Glasgow has more than 90 parks and gardens.
- In dating: Plenty of green space for a first date walk, from Kelvingrove Park to Pollok.
- People Make Glasgow
- The city's own slogan, and hard to argue with.
- In dating: The right person could make your year.
- The cone
- The traffic cone that has sat on the head of the Duke of Wellington statue outside the Gallery of Modern Art for decades.
- In dating: "Meet you at the cone" is about as Glasgow as a first date gets.
- The Clockwork Orange
- The nickname for the Glasgow Subway, a single loop of 15 stations and one of the oldest underground railways in the world.
- In dating: Handy for a first date in the West End or the city centre.
- The Barras
- The Barrowland market in the East End, next to the Barrowland Ballroom, one of the best-loved music venues in the country.
- In dating: A gig at the Barrowland makes a memorable date.
- The Clyde
- The river that built the city, famous for its shipyards and the Finnieston Crane.
- In dating: A walk along the Clyde to the Riverside Museum is a lovely easy date.
- Mackintosh
- Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the Glasgow architect and designer whose work is all over the city, including the Willow Tea Rooms on Sauchiehall Street.
- In dating: Afternoon tea at the Willow makes a stylish first date.
- Tunnock's teacakes
- Chocolate-covered marshmallow teacakes, made in Uddingston just outside the city.
- In dating: Sharing your last teacake is a sign it's getting serious.
- Irn-Bru
- The bright orange fizzy drink, made by A.G. Barr just outside Glasgow. Some call it Scotland's other national drink.
- In dating: If they say it cures anything, don't argue.
Glaswegian changes from one side of the city to the other, and what you hear in Paisley isn't always what you hear in the East End. Got a favourite we've missed? Tell us when you join.
Don't be shy. Go and meet someone.
Put a few of these to use with singles who'll know exactly what you mean.