Dundee has a wide range of dialect words which have been embedded into our culture as a city. After asking Dundee Culture followers and visitors what was the best Dundonian word, over 400 comments were posted, so here are those top ten best Dundonian words!
10. Dowp
Starting off with "dowp", this word means backside or the bottom of something.
Example sentence: Mark sat on his dowp to rest from walking 7 miles.
9. Circle
A word that divides opinion, but most Dundonians seem to be in favour of is the word "circle" which is the Dundonian word for roundabout. It is something which is often joked about on Dundee Culture and has spawned several memes and reaction posts on social media.
Example sentence: Pauline drove to the circle tae get tae the toon.
8. Dinghies
A similar word that is often used like glaikit , dinghies means nonsense in Dundonian dialect terms. So whenever you say something that is, well, stupid, chances are that you'd get a response with the word "dinghies".
Example sentence: Wes thought Lucas' opinion was pure dinghies.
Bonus word: Glaikit
Whenever you've done an action that is stupid or foolish, you're likely to be glaikit. Dundonians often use this word to others who have unlikeable opinions or statements which are - well, you know, stupid!
7. Skiffy
A word that is commonly used for fun, and is often used . In Dundonian, "skiffy" means a clue. So whenever you are looking for something for instance and someone knows where it is, the person looking for something would ask for a "skiffy".
Example sentence: Nathan asked Emma for a skiffy when looking for his phone.
6. Fleg
Walking into a room unannounced with someone not paying attention, chances are that person who get a fright, which is what "fleg" means in Dundonian dialect terms.
Example sentence: Lauren gave Caitlin a fleg when she walked intae the living room.
5. Ken
When you're in a conversation with a Dundonian, chances are that they will likely bring up the word "ken" in mid discussion. In Dundonian, ken means you know or I know.
Example sentence: Margaret ken that lad that ran the pub aff the Hilltoon.
4. Teckle
A favourite word among Dundonians, and it is one of the newer Dundonian dialect words, when it was first spoken back in the 1990s, teckle means something good, great. It has become more popular in recent years and has been a common word used frequently on Dundee Culture posts.
Example sentence: Frankie thought Dundee being featured in an international travel magazine was pure teckle.
3. Peh
A word that is all too familar with Dundonians. Translated from the word peh, this unique phrase is often spoken when Dundonians are visiting a bakery when they ask for a peh. A stereotypical Dundee phrase is "twa plain bridies, and an in ana" which means "I'll have two plain bridies and an onion one as well"
Example sentence: Taylor bought a peh and a bridie fae Clarkies.
2. Barkit
Barkit was the second-most popular word featured on the list. In Dundonian, barkit means dirty.
Example: Raymond's mum scolded him for his room being barkit.
1. Cundie
Cundie was by far the most popular word that was commented on the post. Cundie is the Dundonian word for a covered drain, a sewer or the entrance to a drain; an arched passage for conducting water; a tunnel or passage. This word was commented quite a lot and is considered by many on Dundee Culture to be the most popular word.
Example sentence: Gary decided tae name his new band after the cundies oan his street.
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