Scottish word of the day: mixter-maxter

By RAY PHILP
Published on 24/07/2012 16:37

SOME years ago, a leader article in a British national newspaper gave praise to the colourful and expressive nature of Scots words. One of the most unusual terms cited in the article (or, more precisely, unusual to ears not familiar with Scots) is ‘mixter-maxter’.

Mixter-maxter was often used to describe a sense of confusion, or a chaotic and muddled state of affairs (eg. “I cannae make sense of this mixter-maxter of a plot”; “Your speech was a mixter-maxter of arrogance, lies, and nonsense”).

In more general usage, it can also refer to a jumble (eg. “This tumble dryer is a mixter-maxter of your claes”).

The term has also appeared on our very own letters page back in 2004. One Aberdonian reader offered the following missive regarding, aptly enough, the subject of preserving Scots language.

“Allan Massie (Cultural Arena, 31 January) is entirely right: poorly-written documents in some ill-thought-out linguistic mixter-maxter offered as “Scots”, far from doing any service to the language, merely expose it to ridicule...The magnificent, centuries-old tradition of literature in Scots is still very much alive.”