A Word of Ulster Scots 15
As I have indicated on a number of previous occasions, there are a number of words where our local usage coincides in the main with the use in standard English. There are also a number of words, those with more than one (mair nor yin or wan) usage or meaning, where we share a wheen o the meanings but naw al. The day I’d like to look at “thick”.
The most common application in standard English is as a measurement or estimation of density and this usage is shared with Ulster Scots. (“The fog was wile thick ower the bak o the mountain”). There is also a common usage in relation to size (“She gien me a brave thick bit o steak”, not heard often I’ll grant you). Where we part company with standard English is the use of thick as a indication of a person’s character.
If an Ulster Scot describes an individual as being “thick”, it is not a measurement of their IQ or there ability to do (tae dae) differential calculus in their head (heid). Rather it is an indication that the person being described is a stubborn individual, not easily given to compromise or a poor prospect in the field of negotiation. (“Thon yin, he’s as thick as champ”; “champ”, as the maist o ye wull dootless be awar, having naethin tae dae wae the shortened address to a successful boxer but rather being a dish of prootas an scallions (spring onions) wae a guid drap o butter ower the tap an a washed doon wae a jug o coul buttermilk (this last being optional an whiles knowed as “soordook”). “Champ” is “brave pakkin”, a dense and nourishing dish with a habit “o stickin tae yer ribs”. “Thick” here also means difficult and a person so described might be highly intelligent but prone to mood swings and therefore needing careful handling and the application of diplomatic skills.
“Thick” is often used as a cognate for “thran”, an adjective used to indicate an awkward individual or job but also meaning twisted, its origin being from “thra” meaning to be awkward and intractable or given to arguing and hair splitting.
To suggest that “Him an him’s very thick” is not to cast aspersions on the intellectual abilities of the gentlemen under discussion but means instead that the lads in question are friendly. The expression carries an implication that this friendship might not be a healthy one and this may be an indication that there is a link to the expression “as thick as thieves”.
If a boady was said “tae tak it thick” this would not be a signifier of a preference in milk shakes but would instead carry the meaning that the person in question had taken offence (“I argied aboot the money an he tuk it thick” and such a person, having “taen it thick” might then “tak thick” meaning having taken offence, they might then turn stubborn and nasty.
The BBC television series, “The Thick of It”, means the same in Ulster Scots as in standard English, that is “the middle of it” but perhaps it could also be rendered as “up tae yer oxters in it”, in other words, “sunk in something to the depth your armpits” although this may not catch fully the intended irony in the title of Armando Iannucci’s creation which I am certain intends to hint at the “stupid” sense of “thick”.
I want to encourage yes a tae e-mail me at liam.logan@mail.com wae ony o yer thouchts on the tongue. I had an e-mail frae a reader aksin aboot a word “kimsie”.
A’d laik tae hear frae ony o ye if ye hae heerd o this word but A’ll naw say what mae correspondent toul me it meant. A’ll tell yes the nixt tim we’re yarnin. Till then, youse can tell me.
As is my wont, I’d like to pay tribute to my friend, the poet and lexicographer James Fenton for his patience and good humour in dealing with my queries as well as for his seminal reference work ‘The Hamely Tongue’ (published by the Ulster Scots Academic Press), the sine qua non of oor tongue. It’s worth mentioning that the new third edition o “The Hamely Tongue” is available from the Ulster Scots Language Society an ye can get a copy by writing to them at
216, York Street (2ndFloor), Belfast BT15 1GY or telephone them on 00 44 28 9075 8985 |
