Surprisingly, many tourists visiting Scotland aren’t aware of the border separating Scotland from England. Or, believe that Britain is “just England.” You’ll find most Scots are proud of their identity and heritage, and while we are indeed a part of the United Kingdom, we are definitely not England.Surprisingly, many tourists visiting Scotland aren’t aware of the border separating Scotland from England. Or, believe that Britain is “just England.” You’ll find most Scots are proud of their identity and heritage, and while we are indeed a part of the United Kingdom, we are definitely not England.
Surprisingly, many tourists visiting Scotland aren’t aware of the border separating Scotland from England. Or, believe that Britain is “just England.” You’ll find most Scots are proud of their identity and heritage, and while we are indeed a part of the United Kingdom, we are definitely not England.

13 things you should NEVER say to someone from Scotland (and why)

If you’re visiting Scotland and want to avoid being told to ‘haud yer wheesht’ (shut up) or ‘get tae’ (go away), here are 13 things our readers recommended never to say to Scots.

Thomas Mackay
By Thomas Mackay
Published 7th Jul 2022, 10:19 BST
Updated 30th Jun 2023, 08:47 BST

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By all means, you should banter with Scots and learn a few of our colourful expressions, but other times it’s better that you ‘dinnae’ (don’t). Especially when some stereotypes, like the fiery Scottish temperament, may occasionally hold true.

We asked our online readers “What is something you should NEVER say to someone from Scotland?” and recorded your answers.

So to help you out, we collated those responses into this list of 13 things you should NEVER say to someone from Scotland.

So to help you out, we collated those responses into this list of 13 things you should NEVER say to someone from Scotland.

This means “oh yes just now” in the Scots language. This stereotypical Scottish phrase seems to be beloved by many of Scotland’s visitors, including English people. However, despite what you saw on TV, this is not a commonly used expression. So if you’re going to belt it out in your best Billy Connolly impression be prepared for the likely outcome of cringe.

13. “Och aye the noo!” (or any cliche Scots phrase variation)

This means “oh yes just now” in the Scots language. This stereotypical Scottish phrase seems to be beloved by many of Scotland’s visitors, including English people. However, despite what you saw on TV, this is not a commonly used expression. So if you’re going to belt it out in your best Billy Connolly impression be prepared for the likely outcome of cringe. Photo: Isai Hernandes (Canva Pro)

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