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1.
Edinburgh
Colloquial Place
Names |
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Here, below,
are colloquial names for some of the places in Edinburgh Old Town, many of
them taken from emails that I have received, recording people's memories
of growing up in Edinburgh.
Perhaps
somebody will tell me more about some of these places.
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Back Canongate
© |
"Holyrood Road was always
called the 'Back Canongate'."
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 7, 2008 |
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The
Balconies
© |
The Balconies were houses
with balconies on the west side of Dumbiedykes Road, opposite The Big
Green.
Jean Rae, who has sent
memories of Dumbiedykes to the EdinPhoto web site used to live in The
Balconies, at 34 Dumbiedykes Road.
Jean Rae (nee Aithie), South Side,
Edinburgh: April 2006 |
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The
Big Green
© |
"The
Big Green was the area in front of 'The Balconies' housing in
Dumbiedykes Road"
Jean Rae (nee Aithie), South Side,
Edinburgh: April 2006 |
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Blackie
© |
"Blackfriars
Street was known as 'Blackie' to anyone who lived there or who had
friends who lived there."
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 7, 2008 |
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The Blackies |
Blackford Hill
Paul Anderson: October 8, 2007I |
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The
Brickies
© |
The edge of The Brickies
can be seen on the extreme left of this photo.
"The
Brickies were houses, made of bricks, beside 'The Big Green' in
Dumbiedykes Road."
Jean Rae (nee Aithie), South Side,
Edinburgh: April 2006 |
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The Bunkey |
The North British Rubber Co. that used to be
at
Fountainbridge
Paul Anderson: October 8, 2007I |
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The Commy |
The Commonwealth Swimming
Pool
Paul Anderson: October 8, 2007I |
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Danger Woods
Craigmillar
© |
The Danger woods were in
area 4 of this map of Craigmillar. Johnni Stanton recalls when he
lived nearby in the 1960s:
"Across from Craigmillar
Castle Avenue, looking at Craigmillar Castle, is the present
Craigmillar Country Park, which used to be
the Danger Woods, where there were huts holding the last of the fireworks from the
gunpowder factory that used to there. Hence the name
'Danger'. We found lots
of gunpowder and a Verey pistol
there."
Johnni Stanton, Craigmillar, Edinburgh;
October 31, 2008 |
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The Dumbie
© |
"This was
a shortened version of Dumbiedykes"
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 7, 2008 |
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The Dummy |
Edinburgh and Dumfriesshire Dairy
Paul Anderson: October 8, 2007I |
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Eastie
© |
" 'Eastie' was East Arthur
Place, Dumbiedykes."
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 7, 2008 |
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Eckybank |
Newington Cemetery
Paul Anderson: October 8, 2007I |
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The Figgy
© |
"Figgate
Pond or 'The Figgy'
as we used to know it in he 1950s,
was the
pond down behind St. John’s school in Portobello."
Paul Anderson: October 8, 2007I |
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Front Street
© |
"Nicolson Street was always
called the 'Front Street'."
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 7, 2008
"The main road from South Bridge to
South Clark Street is known by 'Southsiders' as the Front Street."
Paul Anderson: October 8, 2007I |
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Gampers |
Those who attended The Gamp
disco in the Royal MIle.
"Does
anyone know Sanders,
George Kelly, Graham Gourley,
Black Eddy, Tommy or Big
Davie who went off to India, all of them Gampers?
They all used to start from the Wee Windaes
bar on the High Street before going to the Gamp."
Lyndsay (formerly Linda)
Montgomery, Old town, Edinburgh: October 25, 2008 |
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High Street Pictures
© |
"The New Palace, High
Street, never got its full name. It was always just 'High Street
Pictures'.""
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 7, 2008 |
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Libby |
Liberton
"As
a youngster in Arthur Street, Dumbiedykes, I remember
getting the No 7 or 37 tram to Libby
Dams. It seemed like going to the
other side of the world."
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
December 5, 2007 |
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Lockies
 ©
 ©
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The playing fields to the north of Wardie School (on the East side of
Granton Road) were known as Lockies in the 1970s.
This was the site of Lochinvar Camp, a naval training establishment in the
1940s.
The camp was passed to Edinburgh Council in 1946 and was used for the next
ten years to house homeless families who did not qualify for council
housing.
Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: November
15, 2008 |
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The Meedies |
"The Meadows"
Paul Anderson: October 8, 2007I |
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Middly
© |
" 'Middly' was Middle
Arthur Place, at Dumbiedykes."
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 7, 2008 |
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Mixie |
"I played in a piece of waste ground between
Orchard Brae and Learmonth Avenue in the ‘50s known as the
'Mixie'. Does anyone
remember it?"
Lindsay Russell, Edinburgh: November 6, 2008 |
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Poaly Oaly
Close |
"This was our name for
Old Fishmarket Close"
Jane Jones, Cambridgeshire; August
15, 2008. |
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The
Plantations
©
© |
The Plantations were an
area of trees, on the western edge of Holyrood Park, close to Dumbiedykes
Road.
The Plantations can
be seen on this picture, and are just visible between the houses at the
left-hand side of the photograph of The Big Green (above).
"I remember running down Dumbiedykes Lane (the
road that leads straight ahead in the top picture, opposite). The
road
then turned left and went to Holyrood Square. We used to dreep over the
wall into the plantations."
Jean Rae (nee Aithie), South Side,
Edinburgh: April 2006 |
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The
Plowt
© |
"This was a nickname for
Fleshmarket Close."
Pauline Cairns-Speitel, Old Town,
Edinburgh; August 29, 2008 |
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Puddockie
© |
"The Puddockie
was that part of the Water of Leith at Canonmills.
My mother used to talk about collecting frogs’
spawn here, so there must have been a large frog population!"
Lindsay Russell, Edinburgh: November 6, 2008 |
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"This photo was taken at 'Puddockie',
at the bottom of Logie Green Road.
The boys in the photo are Jimmy Callender, Davey Callender, George (Doddie) Thompson
and Billy Paton."
Jim Callender, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada: April 9,
2007 |
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Samson's Ribs |
"Our name for the basalt rock columns on the
roadside above Duddingston Loch in Holyrood Park."
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 7, 2008 |
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The
Scabby Lala |
"The La Scala
cinema was always called the Scabby Lala by us street urchins."
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 7, 2008 |
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The
Scotchie
© |
"This was
the waste ground behind the Pleasance
Trust, where we Arthur Street keelies played footie. I've never seen
or heard an explanation of this name"
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 7, 2008 |
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Skinny Woods
Craigmillar
© |
The Skinny Woods were in
Area 9 of this map of Craigmillar. Johnni Stanton describes the land
lying to the south of the eastern end of Craigmillar Castle Avenue in the
1960s:
"Across from that part of the Avenue were Sandy's Boys Club,
and a cornfield leading to Greendykes along the old Skinny Woods."
Johnni Stanton, Craigmillar, Edinburgh;
October 31, 2008 |
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The Steamie |
Public Laundry
"In Henderson Row, just before the Edinburgh Academy, there was a place
my Mother used to call 'The Steamie'.
Women in headscarves and a 'fag' (cigarette) hanging from the lower lip,
wheeling pram (perambulator) frames containing tin tubs full of dirty
laundry, used to frequent it."
Allan Dodds, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, England: October 21, 2008 |
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The Store |
"St. Cuthbert's Co-op (later, Scotmid) was
always referred to as 'The Store'.
Ask anyone over the age of 40 from Edinburgh,
their mum's store number. I bet they still know it!"
Mary Frances Merlin
(nee Monteith), France: October 6, 2008 |
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The Tinny
|
The washhouse
"At Gorgie, I used to use
Davie's Cafe a lot when I was younger.
I also went to Tynecastle School and used
'The Tinny'
(washhouse).
Janet Porteous (nee Janet Horne Cleland Eagle):
Northern England: November 4, 2008 |
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The Tunnel
through
to Letty's
© |
"In the 1950s and early
1960s, we called the railway bridge at Bingham 'the
tunnel through to Letty’s'. We were sent
there many times by our mum when she desperately needed sugar or soap or
something,
Just
after the tunnel on the right was a tiny shop, Letty’s. It was very handy
in an emergency and luckily she always had sweeties too, like the 'Penny
Dainty', much loved by us all."
Mary Frances Merlin (nee
Monteith), France: October 6, 2008 |
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The Venchie
© |
A children's play area at
Craigmillar.
(Is this, perhaps, an
abbreviation of 'Adventure Playground?)
'The Venchie' is taken from the title of a photograph shown to me by
Sandra Givan, Craigmillar, Edinburgh: October 14, 2008 |
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Westy
© |
" 'Westy' was West Arthur
Place, Dumbiedykes."
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 7, 2008 |
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92 |
"St Cuthbert's Office Building used to be at
92 Fountainbridge. It was simply referred to as '92'."
Paul Anderson: October 8, 2007I |
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121 |
Head Office of the Church
of Scotland is, at 121 George Street.
'The Scotsman'
newspaper referred to "The corridors of power at
121."
Peter Stubbs, October 8, 2008 |
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2.
Edinburgh Slang |
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After reading Pauline Cairns-Speitel's question
about the word 'henner', Eric Gold, now living in East London,
and others have provided more Edinburgh slang definitions over the past
few days (below):
However, I think George T
Smith, now living in British Columbia, Canada is right when he says:
"You may find that
the collection of names and slang will get out of hand and perhaps end up
like the Scot's Dictionary in Firstfoot.com."
I'm already finding the number
of additions to this page is far larger than I had expected, after
just a few days, so I think I'll continue to add
colloquial Edinburgh place names (1 above)
but only add other Edinburgh slang where I find
it to be particularly interesting.
Peter Stubbs:
October 8, 2008 |
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Barleys! |
"The childhood expression,
'Barleys!', was used with the
accompaniment of two thumbs-up signs, to
indicate that one was no longer playing a game such as tig."
Allan Dodds, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, England: October 15, 2008 |
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bed closet |
a small room with a bed, adjoining the
main bedroom.
Eric Gold, East London; October 8,
2008 |
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bide yer
wheesht! |
"If I was crying as a child,
my grandmother would say: 'Bide yer wheesht!',
meaning stay quiet."
Allan Dodds, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, England: October 15, 2008 |
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bissies |
plain clothes
police, or CID
Eric Gold, East London; October 8,
2008 |
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blether |
friendly chat
Eric Gold, East London; October 9,
2008 |
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boiling |
A small portion of potatoes
given to 'tattie howkers'.
"In
the late-1940s and early-1950s,
we used to be excused school to go to the tatties.
It
was a great shock to the system to have to work at what was a back-breaking
job.
We also used to be allowed a boiling (a small
bag of potatoes) to take home every night."
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh,: November 15,
2008 |
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bunker |
a kitchen top where the
coalman would put the coal
Eric Gold, East London; October 8,
2008 |
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canter |
hang on to a vehicle, such
as a coal lorry
Eric Gold, East London; October 7,
2008 |
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coal cellar |
a
cupboard in the lobby where the coal was kept, if you
never used the bunker.
Eric Gold, East London; October 8,
2008 |
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coo's lick |
1. "This seemed to
apply mostly to boys who had a stubborn tuft of hair hanging down over
their forehead – which would stubbornly resist any attempt by mothers to
comb it or brush it in a backwards direction. Brylcream only worked for a
few minutes before the tuft stubbornly resumed its rightful place.
The only thing that could overcome the will of
the tuft (for a while) was the white concoction hairdressers insisted on
putting on young boys’ hair – a bit like wallpaper paste which went
instantly brick-hard.
I don’t know what the link is with a cow or,
for that matter, a cow’s lick or tongue."
Brian Gourlay, Biggar, Lanarkshire
Scotland: October 8, 2008
2. "The expression
'coo's lick was also used as below:
After washing your
face, your mother would say 'that's
a coo's lick'. In other
words, 'get back and
wash it properly'."
Andy Duff, Australia: October 19,
2008. |
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dreep |
"The verb 'dreep' was always used to describe
the act of hanging from a wall with one's hands and letting go."
Allan Dodds, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, England: October 14, 2008 |
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dunt |
thump
- (recollections of a Primary 1 pupil at Castle
Hill school: "I was dunted in the back going downstairs and was
only saved by rugby-tackling one of the female
teachers. Very embarrassing!'"
Jim Cairns, Dunfermline, Fife: Edinburgh Old Town
recollections |
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dug |
dog - a 'watch
dug' was one kept on commercial premises"
Eric Gold, East London; October 8,
2008 |
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fash |
upset
"My Grandmother frequently used to tell me as
a young child: "Dinna fash yersel",
ie 'Don't get upset',
from the French 'se facher'
meaning to get angry"
Allan Dodds, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, England: October 14, 2008 |
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flair |
floor
Eric Gold, East London; October 7,
2008 |
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flea pit |
"a horrible cinema,
alive with fleas, such as the New Palace,
High Street"
Eric Gold, East London; October 7,
2008 |
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glaikit |
foolish
"If my mother thought a person was of low
intelligence, she would confidently describe
them as 'glaikit'."
Allan Dodds, Nottinghamshire,
England: October 16, 2008 |
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grate |
fireplace
Eric Gold, East London; October 8,
2008 |
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greetin' |
crying
"The bairn's
greetin' = the baby is
crying"
Andy Duff, Australia: October 19,
2008 |
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groozie |
"My Grandmother
used to say that she "felt
groozie", meaning that she was sickening for an illness."
Allan Dodds, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, England: October 14, 2008 |
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guddle |
tickle
"When we went on holiday to Haddington I
learned to 'guddle'
trout, ie to tickle them into complacency before
'howking' them, ie
scooping them, out of the water.
Allan Dodds, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, England: October 14, 2008 |
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guy dreich |
"My Grandmother
used to say that the weather
was "guy dreich", meaning dull, cold and about to start drizzling with
rain."
Allan Dodds, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, England: October 14, 2008 |
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halfie |
half day's
holiday
- At Castle Hill school, if
it was very wet, all of the pupils would march about in the rain at
playtime chanting:
'We want a halfie, we want a halfie!'
Jim Cairns, Dunfermline, Fife: Edinburgh Old Town
recollections |
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Heedie |
Headmaster -
'the heedie at South Bridge School ...'
email from Ian Mackay, Edinburgh:
September 24, 2008 |
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hen |
"women were called 'hen'."
Allan Dodds, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, England: October 14, 2008 |
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henner |
Question
Pauline Cairns-Speitel also wrote:
"Do you remember
'henner'? For me it meant doing somersaults on railings and the
likes. You could also 'have henners' or
'take henners'. This is what your mother
did when she saw the state of your clothes after you had been doing
henners. Does that mean anything?
The earliest example of 'henner' that I
know of comes from Caithness in 1939 but thereafter seems to be very local
to Edinburgh."
Pauline Cairns-Speitel, Old Town,
Edinburgh; October 3, 2008 |
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Answer 1
Bob Henderson replied:
"HENNERS: I am still doing them even
though I am 70.
Pauline is right. Although we now call the
version my 2-year-old and 4-year-old grandsons do at Tumbletots,
forward rolls, for me these were henners."
"TAKE A HENNER: Pauline's
expression, to take a henner,
for me and my compatriots, meant to stumble and
go flying ('A over T')
head over heels."
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 7, 2008 |
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Answer 2
Bob Henderson replied:
"DOING A HENNER was
a common place for either an intentional handstand or similar
gymnastic or simply falling off one's bike:
'Did a henner o'er his handlebars'."
George T Smith, Nanaimo,
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada:
October 7, 2007I |
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Answer 3
Paul Anderson replied:
"I think henner is very much a local word and
could mean various things eg. 'he went for a henner' I think means he fell
down."
Paul Anderson: October 8, 2007I |
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howk |
scoop
"When we went on holiday to Haddington I
learned to 'guddle'
trout, ie to tickle them into complacency before
'howking' them, ie
scooping them, out of the water.
Allan Dodds, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, England: October 14, 2008 |
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Jannie |
School Janitor
Eric Gold, East London; October 8,
2008 |
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Jukeyembra |
"Many slang words
are mangled English created by elision . An
Edinburgh example might be 'jukeyembra'
or Duke of Edinburgh"
George T Smith, Nanaimo,
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada:
October 8, 2007
Also, seen
in a school magazine: 'Chookie Embra'.
Peter Stubbs: October 8, 2008 |
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lavie |
toilet - 'inside
and outside lavie'.
Eric Gold, East London; October 8,
2008 |
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lobbie |
"a hallway in a
house. When I lived in Arthur Street, it was a hallway to the
homes in a landing."
Eric Gold, East London; October 8,
2008 |
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long tail |
rat
Eric Gold, East London; October 8,
2008 |
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Means Test Man |
"A person from the
Social Security who came to your house to evaluate what you had before
paying you benefits’"
Eric Gold, East London; October 8,
2008 |
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menage |
"A group of housewives
organising money for Christmas or another event."
Eric Gold, East London; October 7,
2008
Eric described this as 'Money Manage', but see below.
"Menages were
usually associated with Parkers store situated in the mock-Tudor building
at Bristo.
A group would get together and the amount of
the weekly menage was set according to the size of the group 20 people
would mean a £20 weekly kitty and this would be paid back over twenty
weeks.
Or if there there were 40 people in the group
they might set the weekly payment at 10/-. The
weekly kitty would still be £20 but repayments would
be paid over 40 weeks.
The trouble with this
system was that there had to be a lottery for the week you would get your
turn. Someone would get £20 the first week and
someone would have to wait forty weeks for their turn"
Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 10, 2008
"A Menage was an
informal sort of credit union, a means for people to buy on credit to meet
household demands.
It was pronounced MENage with the
'age' soft, as in the
French 'menage', a word relating to housekeeping and economy. I
wonder if it was a relic of our auld alliance with France."
George T Smith, Nanaimo,
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada:
October 8, 2007 |
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messages |
shopping
Eric Gold, East London; October 7,
2008 |
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neeps |
turnips
Bob Henderson, November 15, 2008 |
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'Nae Bairns' |
'No
Children Allowed' - used in pubs and
especially for weddings when they were advertised in the paper.
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