Hi Bill Maybe I am wrong, but I always thought that a Ballop Relation was someone born on the wrong side of the blanket (another saying) in other words, not through a legitimate union. Best wishes Ian A McClumpha Need help with your Scottish Family History research? Let Imchad Ancestry assist you. Please look at our website: www.imchad.freeola.com -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of DOUGAN WILLIAM Sent: 14 February 2011 14:29 To: Wiglist Subject: [WIG LIST] Language An expession that I recall is "ballop relation". The ballop is the old fashioned flap on trousers, such as on Royal Navy trousers nowadays. I can only assume that it refers to relatives through marriage and not blood relatives. Another expression was "he's a frien o' oors" which meant a distant relative. Older close family friends whether related or not were often referred to as Auntie and Uncle. Very confusing to the budding genealologist. Bill ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message