"Useful Term" list

**Pour1Malt** · 19th February 07, 07:05 AM

like the "Abbreviations on this Site" section of FAQ's...

please consider a "Useful Term" list (arr some sich name)

it cuid include...

definitions fur....

Sgain Dubh, Sporran, PC, Argyle, Tank (already listed), Ghillie Brogues, Balmoral, Glengarry....

"doing a Hamish", Freelandin', Dreadful....

Rabble, Spurse... an many others...

whit dae ya think?

**sjrapid** · 19th February 07, 07:15 AM

Agreed.

Also possibly some other terms - flashes, hose, fell, crail, steeking,

Best regards

**Tattoo Bradley** · 19th February 07, 07:30 AM

selvedge, rise, PV, sett

**Mike1** · 19th February 07, 08:10 AM

Why not discuss those terms on the open forum, so everyone can benefit from it? Not everyone <GASP> takes the time to read the FAQ/Policies page.

**Panache** · 19th February 07, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by Mike1

Why not discuss those terms on the open forum, so everyone can benefit from it? Not everyone <GASP> takes the time to read the FAQ/Policies page.

Now Mike that's just crazy talk...

Cheers

P.

**Kilted KT** · 19th February 07, 08:32 AM

sounds like a good idea to me.

**Pour1Malt** · 19th February 07, 10:12 AM

anither...

Spurse

(Noun, pronounced "s-Purse" )

a sporran converted to and used as a purse for a lassie.

**Pour1Malt** · 19th February 07, 10:18 AM

anither...

Sporran

A Sporran is a pouch (the word is simply the Scottish Gaelic for 'purse'), now a decorative part of Highland dress but originally an everyday practical item, made of leather or fur, usually with more or less elaborate silver or other ornamentation, especially on the clasp or hanger. It is worn on a chain or belt around the waist, allowing the sporran to lie below the waist of the person wearing a kilt. Since the traditional kilt does not have pockets, the sporran serves as a wallet and container for any other necessary personal items (such as a hip-flask). The sporran also protects a person's decency. This was originally because the ancient 'great plaid' (Gaelic breacan an fhèilidh), formed of a long draped cloth, had a gap at the front, and in more modern times because the kilt is traditionally worn without undergarments. Historically, the sporran was used to carry a day's rations.

* "Day Sporrans" are usually simple brown or black leather pouches with little adornment. These "day" sporrans often have three leather tassels and some Celtic knots embossed in the leather.

* "Dress Sporrans" are more ornate. Victorian examples were often ostentatious, and very different from the simple leather pouch of the 17th or 18th centuries. They usually have chrome or silver cantles trimming the top of the pouch and a fur covered face with fur or hair tassels. The cantle may contain intricate filigree or etchings of Celtic knots. The top of the cantle may have a set stone, jewel, or emblems such as Saint Andrew, a thistle, Clan or Masonic symbols.

* "Military Sporrans" may be worn with regimental attire. Pipers will often wear the most flamboyant sporrans with long horsehair that swishes from side to side as the piper marches.

The sporran hangs just below the belt buckle; and much effort is made to match their style and design. The kilt belt buckle can be very ornate, and contain similar motifs to the sporran cantle and the Sgian Dubh.

**Pour1Malt** · 19th February 07, 10:05 AM

ai'll start...

Sgian Dubh

The Sgian Dubh (pronounced "skee(a)n doo", IPA /ski:n du:/, or lightly diphthongised /ski) is a ceremonial dagger (Gaelic sgian) worn as part of the modern Scottish Highland dress along with the kilt. It is worn tucked into the hose with only the pommel visible.
Etymology

The name comes from the Gaelic meaning "black knife", where "black" may refer to the usual colour of the handle of the knife. It is also suggested that "black" means secret, or hidden, as in the word blackmail. This is based on the stories and theories surrounding the knife's origin and the meaning of "Dubh" in Gaelic.

Origins

The sgian dubh may have evolved from the sgian achlais, a dagger that could be concealed under the armpit. Used by the Scots of the 17th and 18th centuries, this knife was slightly larger than the average modern sgian dubh and was carried in the upper sleeve or lining of the body of the jacket.

Courtesy and etiquette would demand that when entering the home of a friend, any concealed weapons would be revealed. It follows that the sgian achlais would be removed from its hiding-place and displayed in the stocking top held securely by the garters.

The sgian dubh also resembles the small skinning knife that is part of the typical set of hunting knives. These sets contain a butchering knife with a 9-10 inch blade, and a skinner with a blade of about 4 inches. These knives usually had antler handles, as do many early sgian dubhs. The larger knife is likely the ancestor of the modern dirk.

The sgian dubh can be seen in portraits of kilted men of the mid 1800s. A portrait by Sir Henry Raeburn of Colonel Alasdair Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry hangs in the National Gallery of Scotland; it shows hanging from his belt on his right hand side a sheath holding nested hunting knives, and visible at the top of his right stocking what appears to be a nested set of two sgian dubhs. A similar sgian dubh is in the collection of The National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland.

**Paul Henry** · 19th February 07, 10:23 AM

wouldn't it be better if we actually used our own words/explainations, rather than using cut and paste wikipedia- which many of us are very hesitant about trusting.
After all, a google search provides large quantities of results, from many sources, from which we can read through and learn that way?