Just an afterthought - I would stick my neck out and say that 'rambunctious' is not in common usage in Scotland. Further, I have rarely heard it or read it and it's not a word I would ever use. Anne -------------------------------------------- On Sun, 29/11/15, Ken Mathieson via <lanark@rootsweb.com> wrote: Subject: Re: [Lanark] LANARK Digest, Vol 10, Issue 187 To: lanark@rootsweb.com Date: Sunday, 29 November, 2015, 17:21 Hi All, The Concise Scots Dictionary gives 'rammy' as being a 20th century word perhaps derived from 'rammle' and meaning 'scuffle, free-for-all, violent disturbance'. For 'rammle' it gives a primary meaning (verb) of 'to ramble' or 'wander aimlessly, esp under the influence of drink' and as a secondary meaning (noun) in South and Northeast Scotland from the 18th century onwards meaning 'noisy or riotous behaviour' or specifically 'a noisy drinking bout'. That confirms Anne's definition from the OED, with the added geographical spread across much of Scots-speaking (as distinct from Gaelic-speaking) Scotland,  so it's more likely to have derived from earlier Teutonic sources than frm Gaelic. So, while 'rammy' is widely used in Glasgow and beyond, it isn't purely Glasgow vernacular. Ken On 29/11/2015 16:33, Anne Burgess via wrote: >>   I note that "rammy" is considered Scots Gaelic.  My >> (Irish and German) inlaws used that word a lot to describe >> kids' behavior, and I always assumed it was from >> "rambunctious". > According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the Scots word 'rammy', meaning 'A brawl, a fight, esp. between gangs; a quarrel; a scrimmage', was first recorded in 1935, and is thought to come from 'rammle', also Scots, meaning ' instance of riotous or disorderly behaviour', which is a variant of 'ramble'. This in turn is related to a mediaeval Germanic word. Nothing to do with Gaelic. > > 'Rambunctious' is of colloquial American origin, first recorded in 1830, believe it or not, a variant of rumbustious. No connection with 'rammy' as far as the OED is concerned, and who am I to argue with the experts? > > Anne > >    > >    > ------------------------------- > > WHEN REPLYING to a post please remember to snip most of the earlier message. Be sure the reply to address shows as LANARK@Rootsweb.com. > > You may contact the List Admin at lanark-admin@rootsweb.com or click on the following link to the list information page online: > http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/SCT/LANARK.html > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to LANARK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2015.0.6176 / Virus Database: 4460/11088 - Release Date: 11/29/15   ------------------------------- WHEN REPLYING to a post please remember to snip most of the earlier message. Be sure the reply to address shows as LANARK@Rootsweb.com. You may contact the List Admin at lanark-admin@rootsweb.com or click on the following link to the list information page online:  http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/SCT/LANARK.html ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to LANARK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message