Published Date:
30 March 2008
Tòin: bottom/butt/bum
A hard word to pronounce: say 'toon', but then add a short y-sound to the end of the n-sound. It has all the sniggering, 10-year-old connotations of the English word bum, and it's the kind of word to avoid in very polite company, but an exasperated parent might shout at a child "Suidh air do thòin" (See ur do thoon), sit on your bottom. One arguably controversial use of the word crops up in geography; the south of England, especially the south-east, is often called "Tòin Shassain", literally the arse-end of England. "A bheil an tòin agam a' coimhead mòr le seo?" (Uh vull mo hoon uh koo-wad more le shaw?) Does my bum look big in this? "Chan eil" (kha nyul), no, is always the answer.
-
Last Updated:
29 March 2008 8:21 PM
-
Source:
Scotland On Sunday
-
Location:
Scotland
-
Related Topics:
Gaelic language