Scotland's weather is famously unpredictable, with rain, sunshine, and even snow all sometimes falling on a single day.
Because of this, it should come as no surprise that we have a sizeable vocabulary of words and phrases to draw from no matter what it looks like outside.
If you are from Scotland, or have spent some time here, you will likely have heard of at least a few of these—from dreich to roasting. However, there are also many words and expressions that are far less known. If you fancy testing your knowledge or adding a phrase or two to your vocabulary, here are some Scottish words and sayings that you can use to describe the weather.
Dreich
Meaning damp, grey, and just generally miserable, we are well used to dreich days in Scotland. With summer coming up, though, hopefully we'll get a bit of a break.
Baltic
If you aren't Scottish and don't live here, hearing the world baltic will probably just make you think of the Baltic Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean. However, Scots will often use the word as a shorthand for 'very cold', which makes sense considering how chilly the sea is.
Bullet stanes
We don't see them all that often, but hail stones can be rather uncomfortable when they're battering down overhead. It's no wonder, then, that many Scots refer to them as bullet stanes.
Drookit
If the weather turns particularly sour on a dreich day, you may find yourself using the word drookit. This can refer to either heavy rainfall or getting caught in said rainfall.
Gloaming
Rather than something that falls from the sky, the word gloaming instead refers to a time of the day. It usually refers to evening twilight or dusk, though can sometimes mean dawn.
Fret
While most would associate the word fret with being anxious or a part of a guitar, some Scots use it to describe a very specific type of weather. It refers to a chilly mist coming in from the sea.
Today's rain is tomorrow's whisky
This is an old Scots expression that refers to the country's famously changeable weather. Because water is needed to make whisky, the saying basically tells us to be optimistic even in the face of less-than-ideal circumstances.
Snell
With winter behind us, we hopefully won't be using this word anytime soon—though in Scotland you never know. It refers to the type of cold that is so biting that you can feel it in your bones.
Jeelit
This funny-sounding word is used very similarly to snell. It means the weather is very, very cold outside—the type you dread on a winter morning.
Haar
Unlike many words on this list, haar is actually a meteoloical term. It refers to a cold sea fog that most commonly occurs on the east coast of Great Britain between April and September.
Watergaw
It may not be a very pretty-sounding word, but watergaw actually refers to a beautiful natural phenomena. A watergaw is a broken section of rainbow that you can sometimes see between clouds.
Auld wives and pike staves
You'll have no doubt heard the expression 'raining cats and dogs', but you may not be so familiar with this Scots version. Next time the rain is particularly bad, try saying it instead and see how many people know what you're talking about.
Roasting
While there are understandably many Scots words and phrases used to describe wet or cold weather, we do also have some for nicer weather too. One of these is roasting, which refers to a very hot day.
It's blowing a hoolie
This one is pretty easy to figure out. As you probably guessed, it is used when the weather is very, very windy—not an uncommon occurrence in Scotland.
Taps aff
Another phrase you'll likely hear when the mercury rises, particularly around Glasgow, is taps aff. This literally means 'tops off', as in removing your t-shirt to cool off.
The rain is God’s way o' cleanin' the coos
If you're ever feeling fed up of all the bad Scottish weather, just remember this Scots expression. It basically means 'every cloud has a silver lining', as if it didn't rain then the cows couldn't get clean!
Flaggie
This is one that, unless you've used or heard it before, you likely have no idea what it means. It actually refers to a large snowflake, so you are unlikely to be using it anytime soon.
Plowetery
Similarly to dreich, if you describe the weather as plowetery then it is rainy, damp, and altogether just unpleasant. This is another one that we get a lot of use out of in Scotland.
Coorse
Back to the poor weather, coorse can be used when it is dark and stormy outside.
Flindrikin
This whimsical-sounding word has a meaning that isn't quite as magical. It refers to a slight snow shower.
Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below!
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