# Scottish Terms of endearment **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 3, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038 "2004-09-03T23:03:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![odaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e0b2c6/32.png) [@odaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/odaran)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/1 "2004-09-03T23:03:19Z")
I am looking for Scottish terms of endearment that I can call my wife. I have already found hen and wifey but I want something that she will have to really search for if she wanted to know what it is. She does not speak Scotish and neither do I. So please don’t give me something like you **B** :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: and say it is my dear. I really thank you all in advance. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/2 "2004-09-03T23:14:04Z")
Dearie, bonny or my wee haggis? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/3 "2004-09-03T23:19:32Z")
Amaid Raonaid Babag Burracaid 😃 Or, a better selection: A ghrá = “love” (as in “hello love!”) A stór = “treasure” Mo chroí = “my heart” A chuisle =“pulse” A chuisle mo chroí = “pulse of my heart” Mo muirnín= “my darling” A leanbh = “little one” or “baby” A ghrá geal=“beloved” ---
**Author:** ![odaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e0b2c6/32.png) [@odaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/odaran)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/4 "2004-09-03T23:20:19Z")
Thanks. Let me clarify a little bit, my wife and I have been having some “issues” ☹ and I am looking to put the romance back into our marriage. We don’t have pet names for each other and I wanted to start dropping them in emails that I send her but I don’t want her to know right away what I am doing. Kind of like “what does \_\_\_\_\_ mean” and I reply “If you want to know you are going to have to find out for yourself”. ---
**Author:** ![odaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e0b2c6/32.png) [@odaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/odaran)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/5 "2004-09-03T23:21:46Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Amaid > Raonaid > Babag > Burracaid > > 😃 > > Or, a better selection: > > A ghrá = “love” (as in “hello love!”) > > A stór = “treasure” > > Mo chroí = “my heart” > > A chuisle =“pulse” > > A chuisle mo chroí = “pulse of my heart” > > Mo muirnín= “my darling” > > A leanbh = “little one” or “baby” > > A ghrá geal=“beloved” Ya that is what I was talking about and you beat me to the post when I went to clairify it . Thanks alot 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/6 "2004-09-04T00:14:53Z")
I’d save the first 4 for when you are having fun and she won’t kill you for them. You see, they are “not quite” complimentary. :eek: Raonaid, for example, means “ewe.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/7 "2004-09-04T00:39:11Z")
Ah yes - I know the song well - _Scottish is a Lovin’ Tongue_. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/8 "2004-09-04T11:19:14Z")
Most Scottish men call their birds “doll”. It seems to go down well, especially if they remember to bring home a fish supper and bottle of Buckfast. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/9 "2004-09-04T18:09:18Z")
**silenus** ’s phrases are actually Irish, which is quite similar to Scottish Gaelic, but not quite the same. “Love” for example is actually _gràdh_ and not _grá_ in Scottish Gaelic. I’m not of a mind to look up the others. Anyway, I suppose it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t speak the language anyway, it’s not like she’ll know the difference. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/10 "2004-09-04T18:36:50Z")
Gaelic orthography (Irish or Scottish) has always puzzled me. How, for instance, does one pronounce “A chuisle” or “A leanbh”? I read once that the Gaelic name for Dublin is “Baile Ath Cleath”, but it’s pronounced “blAH-kle-ah.” ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/11 "2004-09-04T18:54:31Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Gaelic orthography (Irish or Scottish) has always puzzled me. How, for instance, does one pronounce “A chuisle” or “A leanbh”? “uh CHWISH-luh” (that “ch” sound should be of the German variety) and “uh LAN-uhv”. Gaelic orthography is difficult for someone who’s not a native speaker, but it’s actually far more regular than English orthography. > [@](#): > > I read once that the Gaelic name for Dublin is “Baile Ath Cleath”, but it’s pronounced “blAH-kle-ah.” More or less, yeah (“blah KLEE uh” is a bit closer). See my Location: for the correct spelling though 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/12 "2004-09-04T23:36:29Z")
> [@ruadh](#): > > Gaelic orthography is difficult for someone who’s not a native speaker, but it’s actually far more regular than English orthography. Is there anyplace I can find a guide to it? ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-terms-of-endearment/263038/13 "2004-09-05T07:04:45Z")
[http://www.standingstones.com/gaelpron.html](http://www.standingstones.com/gaelpron.html)