A Doric A-Z: C revisited

Doric, the dialect of Scots spoken in the North-East of Scotland is rich in words and phrases associated with the land and the sea. In this occasional series I try to illustrate some of them, with examples of their use.

CROCKANITION, CROCKINITION, CROCKINEESHUN, CROCKANEESHIN, CROCKANEETION and other variants: Havoc, destruction

"Stanes will gang to crokonition, Hearts should never gang agee."

"Stones will go to destruction. Hearts should never deviate from the straight and narrow".

From Poems by J. Kennedy Poems (1883).

This Arctic tern met a most violent crockaneetion on the Newburgh links last night. No doubt its mortal remains are now being converted into the flesh of a buzzard, or red fox. Where would we be without nature's recycling squad? Up to the oxters and beyond in things most foul - that's where we would be!