Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

To: jay1949

Another interesting word of Scottish origin that I encounter from time to time is “chimbley” for “chimney”.

Several colloquialisms for rural southerners come from the Scots well:

Hillbilly - from the casual term for a follower of King William III of Orange in the 17th century. This is the William of “William and Mary” who fought the return of Catholic rule to England.

Redneck - supporters of the National Covenant of 1638 declared that Scotland embraced democratic church governance and rejected the Church of England. Some signed in blood and wore a red kerchief around their necks.

Cracker - from crac, crack, craic, kracken; a word that goes way back at least as far as Old High German, passed to Anglo-Saxon, to Old English, to Gaelic. Across the ocean crack has come to mean “good times” including friends, merriment, music, food and drink. As a pejorative the meaning of cracker leans toward someone who is a boastful, frivolous, liar.


20 posted on 04/05/2010 3:34:42 PM PDT by concentric circles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: concentric circles

“Redneck - supporters of the National Covenant of 1638 declared that Scotland embraced democratic church governance and rejected the Church of England. Some signed in blood and wore a red kerchief around their necks”
This may have historical veracity, but I think the use of the word, “redneck” comes from the red bananas miners used in the coal mines of Appalachia.


21 posted on 04/05/2010 4:11:51 PM PDT by sueuprising
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies ]

To: concentric circles

Where I live I hear the word “chimly” for “chimney.” “Chimly” shows up in the poetry of Robert Burns — definitely a Scottish origin.


27 posted on 04/05/2010 9:04:02 PM PDT by jay1949 (Work is the curse of the blogging class)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson