Yer Spraffin' Mince! The Leith Slang Dictionary Online

Distinguishing slang from other non-standard forms of speech is difficult. Is a commonly recognised word such as ‘greet' meaning ‘to cry, to burst into tears' slang merely because it is not to be found in the Dictionary of Scottish Language? Though I have labelled this document a 'slang' dictionary, I am not trying to trivialise the Scots language. Where possible I have included a link to the Dictionary of Scots Language

This glossary contains words which can be found in the Dictionary of the Scottish Language, as well as other slang dictionaries: dictionaries of college slang, playground slang, alcohol slang, sex slang. However, each entry is unique in its definition or usage. The word ‘steaming' meaning ‘very drunk' is included in the DSL under the entry ‘steam,' but in that dictionary there are several other primary meanings. In Leith today in my age group, ‘steaming' means only ‘very drunk' or the Standard English ‘ that emits steam or vapour. ' (OED online.)

For reasons of clarity I have included words which may be better defined as ‘dialect,' as for instance ‘chore,' meaning ‘to steal,' whose roots go back to the Romani word 'Chorav,' also meaning ‘to steal.'

My collection of terms is by no means exhaustive as I was limited by the academic guidelines of the project. Please see the discussion board for further additions.