Auld Lang Syne!: Reliving a Scottish Childhood

This is an A-Z of over 600 words and phrases from bestselling humour author, Allan Morrison. Each term is explained and every example evokes some nostalgic memory of how things used to be when growing up in Scotland between the wars. Some of the terms have been out of use for a generation or more while some are still in use today. Take for example: Auntie Beeny – an old lady you knew who dressed in the style of long ago. Athol Brose – sweet oatmeal dessert made with cream, honey and whisky. Back green/court – If you lived in a city tenement you probably played in the back court on a shared grassy or paved area; sometimes called a backie. Baffle wall – Erected four feet away from the close mouths of tenements, just parallel with the pavement; it was a solid brick wall, some six feet high, six feet wide and two feet thick, designed to deflect a bomb blast from a close mouth in case people were sheltering there, some baffle walls were constructed of corrugated iron sheets held together by a frame and filled with sand. Baikie – the square wooden bucket used to take out the ash from the domestic fire, and also bring coal into the house; also used for feeding cattle and washing dishes!Baldy bayne – the name you gave to someone who was bald. This book will have a strong gift appeal at Xmas in Scotland as an ideal family present for grandparents. Morrison’s name and Besley’s cartoons will only increase this title’s appeal.