Scottish word of the day - Stooshie

Published on 03/07/2012 09:37

A ‘stooshie’ is, generally speaking, a type of uproar or commotion, or a minor row of sorts.

Not to be confused with ‘stramash,’ (although the two are loosely connected), people tend to create a ‘stooshie’ about anything that irritates them, no matter how serious or trivial.

For example, several people have commented on the ‘stooshie’ created by the ongoing tramworks in Edinburgh.

The origins of the word are unclear, although it has been suggested that it is derived from ‘stashie,’ a form of the the word ‘ecstasy’, although quite how the definition of ‘stooshie’ could be linked with ‘ecstasy’ is unclear.

There is, however, a word ‘stoush’, used primarily in New Zealand and Australia which is generally applied to minor disputes or fights - perhaps suggesting that the ‘stooshie’ the Scots use either has its origins further afield than previously thought, or the Scots dialect is alive and well in Oceania.