By Betty Kirkpatrick
Lug is not a pretty word and this is reflected in its meaning in English. The word means to carry or drag something heavy with a great deal of effort. It conjures up images of heavily laden people almost having their arms pulled out of their sockets by the weight of their luggage or shopping bags. You see them all the time at airports staggering from the car park towards the line of trolleys.
In Scots, the meaning of lug is more neutral in terms of attractiveness. It can refer to something pretty or to something decidedly unattractive. That all depends on the person sporting them, for lug in Scots means an ear. Lugs come in all shapes and sizes, from the shell-like and discreet to the decidedly sticky-out and prominent.
At first lug, which is Scandinavian in origin and came into Scots in the 15th century, was applied only to the outer ear, to the part that protrudes from the sides of the head. Then it went on to be used of the inner workings that enable us to hear, as in lug-drum or lug-ache.
Because it is in the nature of ears to jut out, they tend to be an easy target for those who want to inflict pain on the owner of the ears. A good tug or twist of the lugs, as well as a box, can be very painful. This used to be the kind of punishment that might be inflicted on small boys as a warning by, say, the local bobby – but this, of course, is no longer allowed.
Historically, lugs were involved in much more serious and much more formal forms of punishment. Those convicted of a crime might have had a nail put through their lug or they might even have it cut off. Ouch!
The word lug can refer to an animal’s ear as well as to that of a human, but it can also be applied to parts of inanimate objects. Lug was first used of the flaps of a cap. It then went on to be used of the projecting parts of a receptacle used as handles. These are often found in pairs, as in a quaich (a shallow bowl-shaped drinking vessel now much favoured as a christening present) and such receptacles are described as being luggit. A luggie is a small wooden bowl with one lug or two that was often used for serving milk with porridge.
Historically, lug was used to refer to a concealed recess in a room from which a person could overhear a conversation with out being seen. Check out your rooms carefully if you have an old house! To some extent, the success of the eavesdropping would depend on the lug-length, the range of hearing, between the eavesdropper and those holding the conversation. Of course, you do not need such a recess to overhear other people’s conversations. You can lug-latch or eavesdrop anywhere if you are careful.
As with many Scots words, lug appears in several colourful phrases, many of which have faded from use. Some lug phrases simply translate English ear phrases, as up to the lugs in, up to the ears in, while some are slightly different, as lauch on the ither side o yir lug, laugh on the other side of your face.
However many lug phrases are more unusual. If you hae the wrang soo by the lug you literally have the wrong pig by the ear and, figuratively, have come to the wrong conclusion. If you get yir lug in yir luif you literally get your ear in the palm of your hand and, figuratively, you get severely scolded.
The act of blowing in someone’s ear usually has romantic overtones. This is not necessarily so as far as blaw in the lug o is concerned. This means to wheedle or cajole, whatever the nature of what the wheedler wants. Perhaps the most unusual lug phrase is the interjection a pudding lug! meaning nonsense. Somehow I cannot see this being revived into popular use.
Lug also makes an appearance in several proverbs. Good advice is wide lugs and a short tongue are best, meaning listen a good deal and say little. Finally, a warning to anyone who raises a glass. Pint stoups (drinking vessels) hae lang lugs. Those who drink too much say too much. You have been warned.
Betty Kirkpatrick is the former editor of several classic reference books, including Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary and Roget’s Thesaurus. She is also the author of several smaller language reference books, including The Usual Suspects and Other Clichés published by Bloomsbury, and a series of Scots titles, including Scottish Words and Phrases, Scottish Quotations, and Great Scots, published by Crombie Jardine.
Want to discuss other issues? Join the debate on our new Scottish Voices forum
Related posts: