New words are just barrie

The sixth edition of the dictionary has been published

Scots are being encouraged to open their geggies to get more of the country's words in the Collins English Dictionary.

Four words used north of the border have been included in the latest edition of the publication.

Barrie, baffies, bogging and geggie sit alongside dozens of new additions from English regions in the 5,000 new words and phrases.

The publisher launched a national appeal for regional words before producting the latest volume.

"The dictionary already has very good coverage of Scots and one of the things we were keen to do this time round was to include words from the other regions of Britain," said editor-in-chief Jeremy Butterfield.

'Very successful'

"That is a trend we would want to continue because we feel that the dictionary isn't an academic exercise, it is a reflection of the language that is being used."

He said the appeal had proven "very successful" and generated a lot of interest nationally.

However, he said: "I don't think we had much of a response from Scotland.

Some of the words are not necessarily new, like geggie, but I think it is a useful one to have in

Jeremy Butterfield
Editor-in-chief

"We will be doing similar appeals in the future and we would want to include Scotland - that goes without saying."

He stressed that Scotland was already well represented in the dictionary, which was founded by Glaswegian William Collins.

A new edition of the dictionary is published every three or four years.

Mr Butterfield explained that words were chosen for their frequency of use, their spread and their currency.

"Some of the words are not necessarily new, like geggie, but I think it is a useful one to have in," he told BBC News Online Scotland.

Imaginary game

The sixth edition defines barrie as very good and bogging as filthy, covered in dirt and grime.

Baffies is given as a Scots word for slippers, while geggie is a word for mouth.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling also makes her way into the dictionary with an entry for quidditch, defined as an imaginary game in which players fly on broomsticks.

Mr Butterfield said his favourite new entries included aesthetic labour - the hiring of employees for their appearance or accent in an attempt to enhance the image of the company.

He also picked out greenwash: "A superficial or insincere display of concern for the environment that is shown by an organisation."