Your handy guide to understanding Edinburgh slang words and phrases

As anyone who has spent much time in Edinburgh knows, the locals have a way with words.

Stroll around some of the city’s posher postcodes – think Marchmont, Morningside and Stockbridge – and you’ll encounter well-heeled natives who pride themselves on their flawless diction.

We've put together a list of 25 common slang words and phrases you will hear in Edinburgh. | Pixabay

placeholder image — We've put together a list of 25 common slang words and phrases you will hear in Edinburgh. | Pixabay

But while the posher areas of Scotland’s capital city channel the spirit of Muriel Spark’s Miss Jean Brodie, it’s in the likes of Niddrie, Wester Hailes, Gilmerton and Gorgie where the language is more… well, colourful.

The famous old port of Leith, in particular, is awash with amusing words and phrases, a fair few of them brought into the mainstream via Trainspotting, the cult novel by local author Irvine Welsh.

Some words and phrases you’ll see in our glossary and used in other parts of the country as well, but many of them are unique to Edinburgh and its surrounding areas.