Nixt him in dans come Cuvatyce,
Rute of all evill and grund of vyce,
That nevir cowed be content.
(Dunbar)
It is has often been said that the Scots are mean. The Scots themselves have been known to attribute a mean streak to the Aberdonians. Such stereotyping is never entirely justified and while some Scots may indeed be mean, most are just canny with money and a few are down-right generous. Don’t forget that the great philanthropist Andrew Carnegie was a Scot and all Scots are raised with the proverb Ye canna tak it wi’ ye.
While Avarice is a major sin, to the Scots wastefulness is a worse one. For generations, the Scots existed in a fragile economy and thrift was one of the greatest housewifely virtues. This, coupled to a natural instinct for hospitality, provides another example of the Caledonian antisyzygy (see Pride).
So how have the Scots viewed generosity and parsimony in the past? Again, we can let the words speak for themselves.
- Avarice
- Canny
- Fish guts
- Fouthie
- Gair
- Glamshach
- Gled
- Greed
- Grippie
- Gripple
- Grub
- Hame-drauchtit
- Huidpyk, hoodpik
- Inhaudin
- Ken
- Largesse
- Lang-nebbit
- Liberality
- Lick-penny
- Meechie
- Nedynes, Nedines
- Nosewise
- Prodigality
- Puir
- Rowp
- Scrimp
- Ticht
- Wanthrift
How to describe real misers:
He wad rake hell for a saxpence.
He wad flay a louse for its skin or, as it was put more forcefully by J. Service in Dr. Duguid (1887): He would have skinned a loose for the creesh [grease] o’t and socht candy for the banes.
He could peel an orange in his pooch [pocket].
He has deep pooches an short airms.
Ye’ll have had yer tea. [Said to avoid offering refreshement].
What canny Scots really think:
A fuil an his siller is suin pairtit (A fool and his money are soon parted).
Tak care o the pence and the punds’ll tak care o themsels.
Better hain weel not wark sair (Better save well than get stressed out at work).
Yaise whit ye hae an ye’ll nivvir want
Profits winna hide. (Said disparagingly of someone who has been spending ostentatiously.)
Actions speak louder.
The Scots rarely get into debt but, if they do, they pay their bills promptly because they know that short accoonts mak lang freens.
The Scots are in fact very generous and this has nothing to do with self interest, in spite of the proverb: A giein haun’s aye gettin [A giving hand is always getting]. Reminiscing about holidays ‘doon the watter’ to Rothesay, a Glasgow woman recalled how her family used to send their hamper on ahead with all the tinned food they would need for a fortnight: Noo A’m talkin about a hamper nearly as big as this settee. Right? Because ye never knew when ye were gettin visitors and aw that (Robinson and Crawford Scotspeak 2001). That is Scottish hospitality! Well, it’s nae loss whit a freen gets.