Nineteen guddicks [riddles] from Fair Isle.
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1958.191.1
Original Tape ID
Summary
Nineteen guddicks [riddles] from Fair Isle.
Through a rock [spindle] and through a reel,
Through a auld wife's spinning wheel,
Through a sheep's shank been [bone],
Da like o dis wis never seen.
Answer: the worm in the sheep's foot.
What is it at hings roosty an dry aa simmir an weet an oily aa winter?
Answer: the lamp.
Humly bumly bottomless, hauds aa da income.
Answer: a pot.
Da laird an his lady together wir brought
Skreentless and skrantless together they vrought,
Hole for hole dey made up da matter
An skreentless and skrantless dey baith wrought togidder.
Answer: quern stones.
Two grey grices [pigs] lying in a sty; da more dey eat da more dey cry.
Answer: millstones.
Peerie hoose [?], aa full o maet [food],
Neither door nor window to let me in to aet.
Answer: an egg
It's peerier [smaller] or a loose and bigger or a nit
But it follows da keeng at every fit.
Answer: salt.
Peep, peep, though the water was ever sae deep,
I'll get across wi my flock o sheep.
Answer: the moon and stars crossing the loch.
Dis something at shines on the waater and sinks in da sea,
Fire canna burn it: what can he be?
Answer: the sun.
A mooth lik a mill door, an lugs [ears] lik a cat,
Guess aa day an du'll no guess dat.
Answer: a sea buddie [basket].
Two brothers we are, great burdens we bear,
By which we are heavy oppressed,
We work aa day, no maet we descrine,
At night we go empty to rest.
Answer: a pair of clogs.
Lang legs an crooked thighs,
Little round heed and no eyes.
Answer: tongs.
As I went to St Ives I met seeven wives,
Seeven wives had seeven secks,
Seeven secks had seeven cats,
Seeven cats had seeven kettlins [kittens],
Kittens, cats, secks an wives,
How mony was there at went to St Ives?
Answer: just one - the others were coming back.
Q: A heid lik a yarn clew an a body lik a buggie o seeds.
Answer: the cat.
Bringle brangle lik a tangle,
Aa uneven it reaches up to heaven.
Answer: reek [smoke].
Tak from it an it gets mair,
Add to it an it gets less.
Answer: the lum [chimney].
What's never in da hoose nor oot o da hoose,
But it's aboot da hoose?
Answer: the windows.
Peerie [little] fool fedderless fell oot o paradise,
Ower da mill dam dis fool cam.
Answer: snowflakes.
It can lowse [release] a bull and bind a bear and fecht a hunder men or mair.
Answer: frost.
Item Notes
These riddles were originally recorded for the Linguistic Survey of Scotland.
Recording Location
County - Shetland
Parish - Dunrossness
Island - Fair Isle
Village/Place - Haa
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good