Shetland Words:B

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• baa = (n) rock just under surface of water (Aandoo awa fae yun baa)
• baa = (n) yolk of egg, ball (Yun egg hed a double baa)
• baagie = (n) greater black-backed gull (Larus marinus)
• baak = (n) hens perch
• baak = (n) the heavier main part of a set fishing line to which the lighter toams were attached
• baand = (n) frame in a boat
• babie, bawbee = (n) a coin, 1/2d sterling, but varying from 3 to 6d Scots
• back an fore = (expression) occasionally, from time to time
• backie = (n) a small running water
• backin an fillin = (expression) any complicated maneouvre, originally turning sailing boat by swinging boom to allow wind on one side or the other
• bad = generic term for any larger item of clothing. Usually used when referring to a need to acquire and/or do something to clothing in general. (Da washin machine is still brokin, and noo dir no a clean bad idda hoose ta wear).
• baen-hus = (n) sea-word for a church
• baeniman = (n) sea word for a minister
• baenir, bjaener = (n) sea-word for dog
• baess = (n) cattle
• baess maet = (n) cattle fodder
• baet = beat
• baetin = beating
• baet da skarf = warm the hands by repeatedly throwing the arms around one's back
• bags = (n) scrotum
• baillie = (n) official appointed by the Donatary to perform the functions of the ancient under-foud, especially in guarding the interests of the Crown.
• bairn = (n) child
• bakstane = the section of the wall/chimney immediately behind an open fire, particularly refers to the "low fire" fireplace style typical of traditional Shetland houses.
• bal = (v) throw (Bal yun fae de)
• baldin, baldung = (n) a turbot
• balled = (v) threw (I balled da baa)
• balliatus = (n) a parochial assessment for the baillie's salary, in addition to the ancient wattel, appropriated by the donatory
• ballin = (adj) throwing
• banehoos = (n) the church
• banks = (n) cliffs (Aboot da banks)
• banned = cursed
• bar claw = dew claw
• barber = freezing fog
• bard = (n) high headland
• barkit-smookie (n) fisherman's canvas smock which had been treated with 'cutch' q.v.
• barrel = (n) a measure of quantity, 15 lispunds
• baurim = describes the state of being of any water based solution, containing a significant/high level of human/animal waste which has been stored until it is festering, and become rank. Usually accompanied with some degree of froth accumulation on it's surface. ie, stored urine, which used to be used as a wool dye etc
• bawnd = a tether, also band
• bear(in) = drift(ing) (of snow)
• beck = (n) cross beam attached to baand (frame) in boat on which the taft (seat) rests.
• beddral, bederil, bedral = (n) bedridden (usually old) person
• beek = (v) warm
• beest = (n) the type milk only produced by a female at birth and for a short period afterwards
• beet = (v) to repair or mend; replacing fishing toms and hooks was called beeting the lines
• beetil = (v) to hammer, hit hard, to form sheet metal into a rounded shape
• beetlin = (n) a thrashing
• befram = further to seaward.
• bekkabung = (n) brooklime
• bel = (v) throw (bel yun fae de) (Also: bal, balled, ballin) (Da 'Bal-it-oot' sale raised a lok o money)
• bellach = (n) buttermilk after churning; when boiled, the curds floating to the top were eaten and the liquid was used as blaand.
• belled = (v) threw (I belled da baa)
• bellin = (adj) throwing
• bellin = infected; swollen with pus(I hae a bellin finger.)
• belly-gutser = snow sledging, lying face downhill and steering with the toes (Lerwick)
• beltane = May 1^st
• beltane ree = a period of stormy weather about beltane
• ben = (n) the bedroom of a traditional crofthouse
• ben-end = best room (main bedroom in some areas)
• bend-on = lay on, provide.
• bene = bone
• benidju, benigju = (n) fist
• benk = (n) bench, seat, shelf, also a hump or ridge
• benkled = dented
• benstickle = stickleback
• bent = Marram Grass
• bent-on = applied, provided
• benwark = joint and muscle ache associated with flu
• bere = (n) a species of barley, Hordeum hexattickon, with six rows of grain
• berg = (n) rock (Low 1774)
• bergesken = (n) trencher or plate (Low 1774)
• berrie = see berg (Low 1774) cf 'Berrie a Roe' placename in Skeld, fits exactly
• bersugget = (adj) sheep markings, variegated, irregular patches of different colors
• biauch = (n) the weather bow of a boat
• bid = (n) invitation, (fiddler's bid = last-minute invitation)
• bid = (n) light line tied to fish hook
• biddable = (adj) obedient
• bide = (v) stay. (bide here an hae annider drink?)
• bielset, bjelset = (adj) sheep markings, a complete ring of different color around the neck
• bigg = (v) build
• biggin = building
• biggit = (v) built
• bight = loop, as in rope
• bighter = single-grooved stone fixed in a loop to drop lines used to weight hook lines, smaller than sinkers
• bik =(n) bitch, female dog
• bilyia piltock = (n) a two year old saithe
• bindie = (n) basket, made of stalks of docks
• bioget, bjoget = (adj) sheep marking, white back with darker sides and belly, or the reverse
• birkin = the taste and sensation of too strong tea
• birkit = very dirty, filthy
• birl = (v) spin round
• birler = (n) tumble dryer (coll.)
• birse = (n) bristles, hair ( A birsie chin)
• birsie = bristly, hairy
• birtick, birtik = (n) fire
• birze = (v)squeeze (I birzed a plook)
• bismar, bysmer = (n) a suspended lever or beam used to weigh goods
• bit = but
• bit = (n) a type of sheep marks cut on the ears (An approx 1 cm or thereby side "V", cut from either the leading or following edge of either ear)
• bizzie = loosely the floor of a byre/cattle shed, but generally mostly applied to section beneath the rear half of the cattle, and the access passageway beyond the runnick, if there was one
• bjokkel, bjokl = (n) (1) high dorsal fin of a whale, (2) knot, bunion, prominent knee joint
• blaand = (n) whey
• black-fantin = (adj) very hungry
• blaeget = (adj) sheep markings, lighter shading on outer wool
• blaet = shy
• blaget = (adj) sheep markings, spotted or speckled, white with irregular dark patches
• blak-gaet = describes the condition of any project which cannot proceed further and will have to be undone and started afresh or abandoned, due to not having so far proceeded as planned/expected. Literally, (the way ahead is a) dark(ened) path(way). The name applied to the roadway between Lerwick and Scalloway, via Gulberwick.
• blanda = (n) bere and oats sown together, also a confused combination of different things
• blanda-meal = (n) meal made from bere and oats
• blashy = breezy and showery
• blatter = flap, (da flag blattered i da wind)
• blawn fish = (n) fish dried unsalted in skeos (practice abandoned in the early 19th century)
• bleddik = (n) buttermilk
• bleset = (adj) sheep markings, dark colour with white stripe down forehead
• blessit = (adj) on cattle or ponies, a white or bald face
• blettet = (adj) sheep markings, white spots on nose and skull
• blibe = bubble, imperfection
• blind dorbie = (n) purple sandpiper (Tringa striata)
• blind-moorie = (n) severe snowfall with nil visibility
• blinkie = (n) battery torch (I took a blinkie ta see me wye i da dark)
• blokie = (n) foolish person, dunderhead (blawkeet in some areas)
• bloom = (n) the white efflorescent crystallisation appearing on a thoroughly-dried salt fish
• blot = washing water or to wash in water
• blots = used washing water which is only suitable to be discarded or has been discarded
• blue-clod (n) small broken peat from the deepest part of the peat bank, very dense
• blue maa = (n) common gull (Larus canus)
• blue-nile = blue/green mould, usually as seen on food which is going off
• blyde = glad (I wis blyde o da smooriekin wi her)
• boag = to move and act in a quiet, secretive/hidden, and furtive manner
• boakie = loosely, a ghost. Applied to almost anything capable of causing fear and not immediately explainable, the more severe types being "Gunnie Boakies"
• boany = (adj) beautiful, good-looking (shu's a boany peerie ting a lass)
• boat teind = (n) a tithe, paid in fish
• boatswain = (n) Richardson's skua (Stercorarius crepidatus)
• bocht = (n) fishing line, 5 fathoms long
• bod = (n) a heavy wave breaking on the shore
• bodin = (n) boat , see knorin (Low 1774)
• boga coust = (n) barley bread (Low 1774)
• Bogle ree = (n) a spell of bad weather usually occuring in late March
• bolman = (n) a husbandman, a yearly tenant or tenant at will
• bonder = (n) an odaller
• bondi = (n) small farmer
• bonek = (n) large bone, joint, especially the upper part of an animal's thigh.
• bonxie = (n) great skua (Stercorarius skua)
• boo = (n) bow (of a boat)
• bool = (n) a crescent shaped fold down carrying handle attached to a lug either side of a container, such as a bucket etc
• bool = (v) to travel extremely short distances very quickly with sudden stops and starts (such as a young calf in a pen), or to wriggle and jerk suddenly and violently (such as a fish caught in a line)
• boond = (n) small farmer
• boorik = (n) sea word for a cow
• boot holes = (n) small pits used to mark the corners of grazing rigs
• bor = (n) upper edge of a shoe or a piece of hide sewed on to a shoe over instep
• bord-land = (n) the guest quarters of the King or Jarl, and therefore exempt from skatt
• bort = (n) a long fishing line
• boucht = (n) coil or hank of (fishing) line, 60 fathoms
• bought = (n) a length of fishing line, 40 fathoms or 80 yards
• bouk = bulk, shape, body
• bow-kig = (n) a small keg used as a buoy
• bow-rope = (n) the rope between the boat and the buoys of the fishing nets
• bowe = boll (a measure for flour 140lb, 10 stone), buoy, fender
• bowkit = (n) a small keg used as a buoy
• boya-mali (n) = offences expiable by compensation or damages to the injured party, or by mulcts shared between him and the Crown, which derived no small part of its revenue from this source and from the obota-mali.
• bö = (n) sea word for house
• böd = (n) booth, bothie, shed near beach
• böddie = (n) Like a kishie (basket) made from cane, reeds or dock stalks. Carried with rope over shoulder.
• böl = (n) bed
• böst = must
• braamer = (adj) good specimen (it wis a braamer o' a fish)
• brack = (n) break
• brae = hill
• Braer = Oil tanker which was wrecked on the South Mainland in January 1993
• brammo = (n) a mess of oatmeal and water
• brandet = (adj) sheep markings, striping of another color across the body
• branks = used equally to describe either three equal strips of wood fastened to form a triangle around a sheep's neck to prevent it forcing itself through fencing, or the two wooden side pieces of a wood and rope head halter used for tethering mainly cattle.
• bratt = (n) full length waterproof apron
• braund iron = girdle or griddle used for baking scones
• brawly = (adv) somewhat, rather
• brear = (n) corn which is just appearing above ground (I see da brear i yun rig)
• breeks = (n) trousers
• breenge = (n) sudden unexpected movement (da wye da sea wis, da boat fetched datna breenge I coodna had her)
• bregdi, bregdie = (n) basking shark
• brenyastyooch = (n) continuous fine cloud of spray carried in the wind from waves breaking on the shore in a gale
• brig = (n) bridge
• brigstanes = (n) paving in front of door
• brim = (n) the sound of the sea breaking on the shore, especially when land could not be seen, as in a fog
• brim-fooster = the sea breaking on a sunken rock or baa
• brismak = (n) a tusk fish
• britrack = (n) salt
• broag = (n) bradawl
• broal = (n) bellow
• broaled (adj) bellowed (he broaled lik a bull)
• brod = the upper surface of a human foot
• brods = (n) book cover
• broch = (n) ancient stone building
• broch =(n) ring seen around the sun or moon indicating a change to windy, wet weather
• brolk = bump, knot
• brolki = (n) knot
• brolki o' de foot = (n) instep
• bronget = (adj) sheep markings, dark with light-colored breast
• brongie = (n) cormorant
• broo = (n) edge of hill or edge of cliff or top of a peat bank (da broo o da hill), (da banks broo}
• brook = (v pt) broke (He brook hit dastreen)
• brook = (n) pile, heap of seaweed on beach after a gale (a brook o' waar)
• bröl = (n) the ordinary sound made by cattle
• bruck = (n) rubbish (Dunna Chuck Bruck), also to break, crush or trample down in to small pieces, or to crumple (of paper or cloth)
• brucks = (n) remains of a something broken (.. da brucks o yun tae plate I slippit)
• brucks o Yule = leftovers of food/drink after Yule
• brug = A suddenly steeply rising piece of ground, but of limited overall elevation. (Da brug o da loch)
• brunt = (adj) burned
• brunt rift = heartburn
• brunnie = (n) thick oatcake
• bucht = coil of rope, about 100 yards.
• bucht, bught = (n) fishing lines of 55 fathoms, fitted with 9 to 14 hooks
• buckie = (n) a large white whelk
• buddack = (n) a thick shoe, a brogue
• budder = (n) bother, trouble
• buggie = (n) a sheepskin bag used to hold meal
• buggie-flaying = (v) to remove the skin of a sheep from the neck down so that the skin is left in a single piece
• buggle = (n) a bannock
• buggle-day = (n) a feast-day, held 29th of March, in which a buggle was baked for each member of the family
• buggy = a lighthearted/fun generic term for any sort of sack/bag
• bught = (n) a rather variable measurement applied to fishing lines (56 – 60 fathoms)
• builing, builling = (v) to put up animals in a quiet place for the night
• buill = (n) sheltering place for animals
• buk = trample underfoot or to exert downward pressure for the purpose of flattening
• bukel = (v) to tangle, (as fishing line)
• bukit = extensively trampled or flattened
• buks = (v) trudge
• buksed = (v) trudged (I buksed hame trowe da snaa)
• buksin = (adj) trudging, (v) stamping.
• bulder = (v) moving in a clumsy manner (wi dat sam, Robbie cam bulderin in) To speak very unclearly
• bulga = (n) ailment in cattle causing dropsical swelling in the throat

also called whirkabis

• bull = (n) the principal farm of an estate, sometimes called head bull.
• bull-fish = (n) male seal
• bulment = (n) Dockweed stalk
• bult = (v) butt
• bultin = (adj) butting. (da ram bulltit me)
• bultit = (v) butted (Da ram bulltit me)
• bummel = confused (he managed ta bummel trow hit), choppy sea (hit wia a bummel o dirt at da olicks da day)
• burik = (n) sea word for a cow
• burra = (n) heath rush Juncus squarrosus
• burrik = (n) a sharp sea or "tide lump"
• burrip = (n) boat's bow rope, a heavier than normal fishing line
• bursi = (n) sea word for a pig (Foula)
• busk = (n) feathers on a fishing fly
• buskit = (adv) clad in best clothes
• but = (n) the living-room of a traditional croft house
• byock = retch, to be sick, throw up, (da stink med me byock)
• byre = (n) a cow shed
• by-name, bye-name = a nickname
• by-wird = catchphrase

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