‘You is aye guddlefankin!’ the Giant shoutit. ‘Dinna be daein it!’

One of the joys of translating The BFG is the chance to create Scots versions  of Dahl’s invented words or gobblefunk. Here are some favourite Dahl words in their Scots (guddlefank) versions, and you can find all of them in The GFG !

 

good dreams
bonniewally                            (ringbeller)
fantooshter                             (phizzwizard)
gowden fantooshter             (golden phizzwizard)

bad dreams
nichtbogle                               (=nightmare)
girnscunner                            (grobswitcher)
flegfechter                              (bogthumper)
trauchlefasher                       (trogglehumper)

words that mean good or delicious
brawsome                               (wondercrump)
brawstottin                             (gloriumptious/spliffling)
deleesome                               (delunctious)
fantastooshous                      (phizz-whizzing)
ferlious                                     (squiffling)
scrandancious                        (glumptious)
scrumbrawlicious                  (scrumdiddlyumptious)

words that mean bad or disgusting
bouffinous                               (disgusterous)
feechsome                               (filthsome)
gruesumphish                        (ucky-mucky)
ugsterous                                 (disgusterous)
yeuksome                                (uckyslush)

other words used by The GFG
By jingbang!                           (By gumfrog!)
eenty-teenties                      (gogglers)
fuzzleglog                               (frobscottle)
feechcumber                          (snozzcumber)
guddlefank                             (gobblefunk)
muckle-whuckle                  (squackling/whoppsy)
numptsome                           (flushbunking)
rummlypump                        (whizz-popper)
snashterin                              (= gobbling)
wavery-havers                      (rommytot)
wheechterin                           (zippfizzing)

Download a longer list of key words here, and read more about guddlefank in this article on Guddlefankin wi Words.

Find all of Dahl’s original gobblefunk words in the brawsome Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary!