These 30 words are on the shortlist for the nation's favourite Scots word

They are the words passed down through generations and sum up perfectly moods, feelings and people in a way like no other.

Now, the search is on to find the nation's best loved Scots word of all time.

More than 200 words were earlier nominated by the public, with classics including glaikit, dreich and clipe on the list.

A panel of Scots language experts have now whittled down the words to a 30-strong shortlist.

A shortlist of the 30 best Scots words has been drawn up by language experts with the public now asked to pic their favourite.

Scottish Book Trust has now asked the public to vote online for their favourite by November 21.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “This year’s vote for Book Week Scotland celebrates Scots, from the everyday words we use in conversation, to the words we may be encountering for the first time.

“We received many wonderful anecdotes through our submissions, highlighting that Scots remains a vital and important part of cultural heritage, passed down from generation to generation.”

Rhona Alcorn, CEO of the Scots Language Dictionary; Michael Hance, former director of the Scots Language Centre; Bruce Eunson, Scots Language coordinator for Education Scotland and Anna Stewart, New Writers Awardee and Scots writer decided on the shortlist.

Some of the words originally put forward were discarded as they weren't actually Scots, such as 'mankie'.

Here are the 30 words on the shortlist and votes can be cast on the Scottish Book Trust website

Beastie

Familiar and affectionate contraction of beast. "Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie."

Besom

Also bissom, bizzem, bizzum. A term of contempt applied jocularly to a woman or young girl. "Girl with a bit of an attitude. I use it as a term of endearment, for a friend with confidence who is not afraid to stand up for herself."

Braw

Also bra', braa. Of things: fine, splendid, illustrious; also used ironically. "It was a braw day."

Bumfle

Also bumfill. An untidy bundle; a pucker, ruffle, in a garment. "A raised lump e.g. in a sheet."

Burn

A brook or stream, also known as the water used in brewing. "Gang ower the burn..."

Clipe

Also clype, klipe, claip. To tell tales about, inform against someone. "Tae clipe is tae tell tales. Nae one likes a clipe."

Collie-buckie

Also coalie-back(ie), coalie-buck(ie), collie-back(ie), cuddie-back. A piggy-back, a ride on one's shoulders. "I'm awfy tired, gies a collie-buckie."

Dreich

Long-drawn-out, protracted, hence tedious, wearisome. "It's the perfect word for a certain type of weather, damp, wet, grey and depressing..."

Dwam

A stupor, a trance; a day-dream, reverie. "In a dreamy state; in a wee dwam."

Eeksie-peeksie

Also eeksy-peeksy. On an equality, much alike, six and half a dozen. "Can also be used as eiksupicksy, to argue or bandy words."

Fankle

Also fangle. To tangle, ravel, mix up. "Deary me, that's a right fankle..."

Glaikit

Also gleckit, gleekit. Stupid, foolish; thoughtless, irresponsible, flighty, frivolous. "Vacant, thoughtless e.g. 'he's just sitting there with a glaikit look on his face'."

Gloamin

Evening twilight, dusk. "Roamin' in the gloamin."

Guising

Also guisin. Mummer, masquerader, especially in modern times one of a party of children who go in disguise from door to door at various festivals. "Gaun guising fir Halloween."

Haver

Also haiver. To talk in a foolish or trivial manner, speak nonsense, to babble, gossip. "Can also mean to make a fuss about nothing, to make a pretense of being busy."

Ken

To know, be aware of, apprehend, learn. "Ken that book we talked about the other day..."

Neeps

Turnip, often served with haggis and tatties. "If ye dannae eat yer neeps, ye cannae hev pudding."

Nyaff

Also nyaf. A small, conceited, impudent, chattering fellow. "A small, annoying person."

Outwith

Also ootwith. Outside, out of, beyond. "To be outside an expressed area - either logically or geographically."

Piece

A piece of bread and butter, jam or the like, a snack, usually of bread, scone or oatcake, a sandwich. "Oh ye cannae fling pieces oot a twenty story flat..."

Scunnered

Also scunnert. To make (one) bored, uninterested or antipathetic. "Fed up, sick to the stomach, can't be bothered with a thing anymore."

Shoogle

Also shoggle, schochle. To shake, joggle, to cause to totter or rock, to swing backwards and forwards. "Gie it a good shoogle."

Sitooterie

In a restaurant etc., an area where patrons can sit outside; a conservatory. "We use it as you would conservatory. You sit inside and enjoy the outside. My mum's neighbour in Argyll, Jimmy Lyons, taught me the word. Jimmy was one of the pioneers of opening up skiing in Scotland. A great man to hai a blether wi."

Sleekit

Insinuating, sly, cunning, specious, not altogether to be trusted. "Sly, cunning, like a fox."

Smirr

Also smir. A fine rain, drizzle, occas. Also of sleet or snow. "An indeterminate state somewhere between mist and rain."

Smoorikin

Also smooriken. To exchange kisses, to cuddle, 'canoodle'. "'Peerie Smoorikins' is said in Shetland for 'little kisses',

Stappit

Blocked, choked, stuffed. "Ma nose is stappit wi' the caul'."

Totie

Also totty, toatie. Small, diminutive, tiny. "A totie bit more..."

Wabbit

Also wubbit, wappit. Exhausted, tired out, played out, feeble, without energy. "Feeling peely-wally!"

Wheest

Also whisht, weesht. To silence, to cause to be quiet, to hush, quieten. "Haud yer wheest!"