A small curiosity about the slang

[I, Cosh]

I was just wondering if any of our Caledonian friends here could tell me whether when Middenface used to call people 'ba'heid', did he actually mean testicle-head?  If so, it was a bit of a daring move for the prog of the 80s.

Good question. It's a pretty common word, but No more extreme than "eejit" so I'd guess it's just "ball".

See also: heid the ba'.

[TordelBack]

Hence 'The Scunner Campbell' in '80s telly programme, Supergran.

And generally.

[JayzusB.Christ]

I was just wondering if any of our Caledonian friends here could tell me whether when Middenface used to call people 'ba'heid', did he actually mean testicle-head?  If so, it was a bit of a daring move for the prog of the 80s.

Good question. It's a pretty common word, but No more extreme than "eejit" so I'd guess it's just "ball".

See also: heid the ba'.

Cheers, that's what I figured

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

I'd say he means "testicle-head".

As in "baw-bag" meaning... well, you can guess.

[M.I.K.]

Ba'heid and ba'heided, (or ba'heidit), are commonly used the same way as bighead and bigheaded, so I think it's mainly a way of way of saying somebody's got an inflated ego.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

I've only ever heard it used as an equivalent to dckhead. But, you live and learn. You're obviously posher than me.

[M.I.K.]

Ah dinnae hink sae.

[Fungus]

Definitely testicle-head.
Or my World-View needs updating ....     Oh well.

[I, Cosh]

So, the one lesson we can learn from this is that the Weegies are a lot less couth than the rest of us.

[Frank]

It means someone has a head filled with nothing but air, but it's morphed into an all purpose tool of abuse:

Add Comb.: bawheid, also ba'-heid. A fool; also a more general term of contempt.

wm.Sc. 1983  William McIlvanney The Papers of Tony Veitch 222:
'Listen fuckin' bawheid,' Laidlaw said. 'I'm on serious business. I don't need the Chic Murray kit. You want to be a comedian, practise somewhere else.'

Edb. 1989  :
An as for you bawheid, just you be quiet!

em.Sc. 1992  Ian Rankin Strip Jack (1993) 154:
'Think I'd give Glenlivet to the ba'-heids I get in here? I'm a businessman, not the Samaritans. They look at the bottle, think they know what they're getting, and they're impressed. ... '

Arg. 1993  :
Whoot's ba-heid sayin noo?

Gsw. 1998  Glaswegian 22 Jan :
"Hey bawheid!" will not endear you to anyone, especially if it's the charge-hand you're talking you.

... it performs a similar function to bawjaws. Folk will try to convince you that's a homophobic term of abuse (one who sucks cocks), but that's a case of meaning being assigned after the fact.

[I, Cosh]

... it performs a similar function to bawjaws. Folk will try to convince you that's a homophobic term of abuse (one who sucks cocks), but that's a case of meaning being assigned after the fact.

Ha ha! That's one that both my mother and grandmother are fond of and I've never heard this etymology before. All of these seem to be examples of exactly the same problem the OP has: trying to make sense of an insult by breaking it down into its constituent parts.

[Lobo Baggins]

Soth is good but, for some reason, I've always thought it was somebody's name. Like Conan's "Crom!" It definitely isn't though.

Soth is Old Norse for truth, don't know if it's supposed to mean the same in Slaine though.  Crom is also a character in Slaine as well - big worm monster Crom-Cruach.  I had the feeling that Crom was used as a swear in Slaine, too, but I might be misremembering Conan.

[shaolin_monkey]

So; a full list perhaps?

Funt
Sneck
Drokk
Grud (on or off a greenie)
Jovis (Jovis Drokk!)
Spug
Stomm
Bastich
Simp
Stak

we need these on a t-shirt asap.

One already is (see below), but I agree we need them all on a tee!  (hint hint PR droid!!!)

http://www.invada.co.uk/products/drokk-geoff-barrow-ben-salisbury-inspired-by-mega-city-one-shirt

[JayzusB.Christ]

Hence 'The Scunner Campbell' in '80s telly programme, Supergran.

And generally.

Weeks later the penny drops.

What about 'bojemoi' and 'fuoco'?  I have a feeling they're actual, real Russian words for something very bad indeed.

[Dark Jimbo]

What about 'bojemoi' and 'fuoco'?  I have a feeling they're actual, real Russian words for something very bad indeed.

Bojemoi definitely a real one. It's basically 'Oh my God!'