Scottish Diminutives

Louise Fordyce

Message 32607 · 17 Nov 2002 17:21:26 · Fixed-width font · Whole thread

>Greetings!

>Louise Fordyce asks:

> Never heard of a clippie though. Is that a west coast thing?

>No, Louise, just your youth showing. The one-man bus is a (relatively)
>recent concept. Back when greybeards like me had long hair and sideburns,
>buses (and trams) had a crew of two. The driver (isolated in his cab) and
>the conductor or, more ususally in Scotland, the conductress who punched or
>clipped your ticket - hence clippie - generally reserved for the female of
>the species.

>Interestingly (to me) the Concise Scots Dictionary gives only one meaning
>as "a pert, sharp-tongued girl" (now Ayr) <Hmmm>

>Jim Healy Perth, Scotland

Jim, I obviously am old before my time or Angus, or more specifically
Strathtay Buses, are living in the past as I know for a fact they still have
conductors or 'clippies'. I haven't been away that long!!

Louise

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