Scottish Words for Weather, Because "It's Raining" Doesnae Cut It

Why does Scotland have so many words for weather?

Scotland's relationship with weather is... complicated. It rains approximately 250 days a year in Glasgow. The wind in Edinburgh can strip paint off buildings. The Highlands get snow in May. And yet Scottish people don't just say "it's raining", they have an entire vocabulary dedicated to describing exactly what type of misery the sky is inflicting today.

What are the essential Scottish words for weather?

• Dreich, Grey, wet, cold, miserable. The single most important Scottish weather word. Covers about 60% of all Scottish weather.
• Drookit, Soaking wet. "Ah'm absolutely drookit." Used for people, not weather itself.
• Baltic, Extremely cold. "It's pure baltic oot there." Nothing to do with the Baltic Sea.
• Haar, Cold sea fog that rolls in off the North Sea. Edinburgh speciality. Turns the city into a horror film set.
• Smirr, Very fine rain. Not quite drizzle, not quite mist. Gets you wet without you noticing until it's too late.
• Stoating, Bouncing. "The rain's stoating aff the pavement." Heavy rain.
• Blootered, Can mean drunk OR battered by wind/rain. Context dependent.
• Nippy, Sharp cold. "There's a nippy wind." Biting rather than deep cold.
• Clarty, Muddy/Dirty. What happens to everything after the rain.
• Mingin', Disgusting. Applied to weather when it's particularly vile.

What Scottish weather phrases do locals actually use?

• "It's chucking it doon", It's raining heavily
• "Braw day", Beautiful day (used approximately 12 times per year)
• "There's a cauld wind", There's a cold wind
• "It's pure honkin' oot there", The weather is disgusting outside
• "Nae bad the day", Not bad today (highest Scottish weather compliment)

Learn more Scottish vocabulary with the Whit Did Ye Say? app, 1,900+ words with audio pronunciation, available on iOS and Android.