A Doric A-Z: G revisited

An occasional A-Z of the Doric, the dialect spoken in the North-East of Scotland which is rich in words and phrases associated with the land and the sea.

GLAIKIT GILLIEPEROUS: A stupid, irresponsible, rough and ready fool.

A glaikit gillieperous is the kind of person who walks his or her dog and after sensibly picking up and bagging its excrement then abandons it on the path, on the verge, on the beach, in the children's playground or even hangs it decoratively on a wire fence. What kind of lunacy is that?

The UK Marine Conservation Society's has just published its annual beach litter survey and warns that the trend for dog owners to bag up dog mess and then leave it on the beach is growing; an increase of 11% between 2010 and 2011 across the UK as a whole and an eye-watering 71% in Scotland. Yes, the dog-walking glaikit gillieparous is alive and well!

Rant over!