Yvonne-.-
WONDROUS WORDS WEDNESDAY…
… is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we have encountered in our reading.
It is hosted by Kathy, over at BermudaOnion’s Weblog. You can either stop by and leave a link to your own ‘mystery’ words of the week, or just browse the eclectic mix of words that others have discovered, there is always a great selection.
Don’t forget that Kathy and the rest of us, all love to read your comments as well!!
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My words this week are taken from my recently finished book, a contemporary romantic suspense:
His Chosen Bride by Sherry Gloag
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1. PEELLY-WALLY
‘I don’t like strong tea, but how can you drink this peelly-wally brew?’
Peelly-wally,( peely-wally, peely wallie) …. (Scottish word) .. Sickly, Pasty, Wan, Pale, Peeeky, Unwell, Pale and Tired.
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2. SHINDIG
‘Then he’s wasting his time. I have no intention of returning home before your Valentine shindig, is that the right word?’
Shindig …. A festive party, often with dancing. Also called shindy.
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3. CANNY
‘And he wondered whether the canny old soul had had an ulterior motive when he sent his eldest son to Scotland for a recuperative holiday’
Canny … Careful and shrewd, especially where one’s own interests are concerned. Cautious in spending money; frugal.
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As this was an author invitation to read and review, a download of His Chosen Bride was sent to me free of charge, by its author, Sherry Gloag.
This will in no way influence any comments I may express about the book, in any blog article I may post. Any thoughts or comments are my own personal opinion and I am in no way being monetarily compensated for this, or any other article.
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I use shindig all the time and people look at my weirdly. lol. Great words!
Hi Julie,
I quite often use ‘shindig’ myself, although it is a commonly used word, here in the UK.
There are a few musical publications and performing groups with the name ‘shindig’ and apparently there was also a variety show of the same name, which aired in the US, in the 1960’s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shindig!
I think that it is a great word and suits its definition exactly.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Peelly-wally, peely-wally, peely wallie was new to me. I knew Shindig and Canny. Happy reading! I love finding new words.
Hi Jennifer,
Most dictionaries seem to spell it ‘peely-wally’, although I guess that it probably depends on which part of Scotland you come from.
Personally I couldn’t drink ‘peelly-wally’ tea, in fact I only drink herbal tea, or black coffee.
If I have to make tea with milk, I’m afraid that it always has to have a good bit of colour to it, otherwise it is no more than drinking coloured milk!!
I also love finding new words, although it is a bit frustrating when I look some of them up and think to myself, ‘you should have known that one Yvonne’!! Still, school was quite a long time ago for me!!
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I always appreciate it.
Hi! I knew them, except for peely wally. That’s a really fun one! I will have to try to throw it into a few conversations and see what kind of reactions I get 🙂
Hi Libby,
I guess that you will have to make sure not to drop it into conversation with a Scotsman, or it might be considered an insult and a slur on his tea brewing abilities! LOL.
I am amazed at the number of people who actually like a ‘peelly-wally’ brew, UGH!
Thanks for the visit, great to talk to you.
Maybe I’m just old, but shindig used to be a fairly common word. I don’t hear it that often any more. Canny is a word I actually use. But peelly-wally is totally new and I like that one.
Hi Leslie,
There are so many words and phrases I find myself using on a daily basis, which have the younger people I work with looking aghast, as they mean nothing to them.
Taken together with the TV programmes which they have never heard of and the music and film stars who they thought had died, and yes …. I think we have an age related problem going on here!!!
Canny is a word which is used quite commonly in the Northern half of the UK, although in the North of England, I am reliably informed that it has a slightly different meaning to when it is used in Scotland. It is not a word that we would use on a day-to-day basis down here in the South of England, where I live.
Peelly-Wally, is definitely a Scottish word, which has never infiltrated over the border into England.
Thanks for the great comments, nice to have you stop by.
Peelly-wally is great fun! I’ll have to try to use that one. Shindig is rather old fashioned but I still use it at times.
Hi Kathy,
I was just talking with the previous commenter, about the age related issues which come with certain terminology I use.
The same situation works in reverse I guess, because, when I have to use the ‘Urban Dictionary’ to find out the definition of a word, I am amazed and sometimes even appalled at the words and language which are being introduced into the everyday vocabulary of this country.
Shindig appears to be a word which is fairly universally used, although only by people of a certain generation …. whereas both of the other words are definitely colloquialisms, used in defined geographical areas.
Thanks as always, for hosting.
It must be an age thing. Not only do I know the word shindig, I used to watch the tv show Shingdig, in the mid-60’s. That’s how common the word used to be! The show was a rock variety show with dancers and great great bands of the day.
Hullabaloo, and Malibu U were a couple of shows that copied it. Of course, they were all variations of American Bandstand. I guess you would have to be over 50 to recall Shindig, it was only on for a couple of years.
I know canny as well but peelly-wally is completely fresh and new to me. And I agree with you, I hate a cup of peelly-wally tea.
My grandmother would roll over in her British grave if she saw my American friends take a teabag and dunk it in a styrofoam cup of hot water!
Hi Sim,
I only discovered your US show Shindig whilst I was researching the word definition. I also found reference to a couple of retro music magazines by the same title, along with a couple of performing musical acts by the same name.
Canny is mostly a Northern UK, or Scottish term and means something slightly different depending on where in that geography you live. I work with someone who hails originally from County Durham, which is way up in the North, close to the Scottish border and she will use canny in quite a different context to the dictionary definition I have highlighted.
My own grandmother would also roll over in her grave (mine worked the other way around, as my British grandmother actually died at her daughters home in California), if she could see me dunking a teabag in a mug, although I do use china not styrofoam! There are so few people these days who actually use a teapot and I don’t think that anyone under 50 knows what loose-leaf tea and a tea-strainer is.
It is great to ‘meet’ you, I love chatting to new people and your comments were so interesting.
I use shindig all the time, but peely-wally is new. I’m going to add that one to my vocabulary.
Hi Margot,
I would love to by a ‘fly on the wall’, when you try telling a relative or friend, that they make a ‘peelly-wally’ brew of tea! Although you might get away with it, if you use its alternative meaning and tell the person that they are looking ‘a wee bit peelly-wally the day’ LOL!
Thanks for the visit, great to chat with you.
It might be regional as well as age-based. I’m pretty sure teenagers in the Midwest are familiar with shindigs because it’s used here, usually a bit ironically. Peelly-wally is fun!
Hi Joy,
Shindig is definitely a regionally based word here in the UK. Very seldom used in England, but much more common in Scotland and Ireland. Also not a word that many youngsters would be familiar with either, definitely only applicable to those of us of a certain age group!
If you were to use ‘peelly-wally’ down here in England, you would get some pretty strange looks, this is definitely a Scotland only saying.
I work with a Scottish lady who has a very strange way with phrases, which makes us all laugh when she is off in full flow. We English always say that our clothes are ‘inside out’, which translated into Scottish is ‘outside in’!! LOL
Thanks for the great comments.
Hi Yvonne,
I’ve heard of canny and shindig… in fact I went to a publisher’s shindig back in February! 😀
I haven’t heard of ‘peelly-wally’ though and find it quite an odd one!
I hope you’re well.
Nikki
Hi Nikki,
Was going to email you later, just to check in and see how you are, as you haven’t posted lately.
There are quite a few words I come across that I have heard of, but never really bother checking out the correct definition, so I always find ‘Wondrous Words Wednesday’ a good prompt to look a few words up that other bloggers might not have come across. I always learn something from this meme, as well as getting a smile and laugh out of some of the words.
‘Peelly-Wally’ is something that you can just imagine being said with a broad Scots accent, isn’t it?
‘Shindig’ is definitely not an expression that I use very much these days, but I am glad that you enjoyed your outing. Anyone interesting?
Take Care.
Shindig and canny are known in Australia too. I haven’t used shindig for a while, but I’m going to a party tonight that I might just have to refer to as a shindig now! Peelly-wally was new to me too.
Hi Louise,
Shindig isn’t used that much in England any more, especially by younger people, so I would be interested to know what kind of strange looks you get, if you casually drop that word into the conversation, you might destroy your credibility forever!!!
Canny, you might just get away with, but I doubt that it is going to be a party where peelly-wally is going to be a very appropriate word to use either?
I wish I could remember some of the great words I come across in this meme, as many of them would make great conversation stoppers, or talking points, depending on the company you are in!
Have a canny time at the shindig and I hope that you don’t feel peelly-wally in the morning!