AboutKaye McAlpine Expertise Lifecycle (birth, marriage, death) customs in Scotland, Early Modern Scottish social
customs, modern Scottish social customs, Border March laws and procedures, criminal
processes and judicial execution practices, social history in Early Modern Scotland,
ephemera printing in Scotland. While I have knowledge of the clan system and function of
the clan society (Highland and Lowland), I am not a an expert in clan genealogy.
Experience Freelance tutor in outreach courses from Edinburgh University on Scottish Culture and Tradition, including lifecycle customs, broadsheet ballads in Scotland, the traditional ballad and history. Freelance writer, guest presenter on Ch4 History Hunters programme, contributor to BBC Radio Scotland's 'Songlines' series on 'The Dowie Dens of Yarrow'. Currently co-director of amedia production company
Publications Books: Forthcoming - Compendium of Scottish Ethnology, chapter on The Traditional and the Border Ballad; The Harris Repertoire (2000, Scottish Text Society, co-editor), The Ballad in History (chapter on Border ballads). Journals include Folklore, The Review of Scottish Culture,Sottish Studies, and The Scottish Literary Journal
Question i have heard of the first glass of scotch one might have during the day being called an "elbow glass" ie. when one props oneself up in bed on one elbow you take your first glass. I have also heard of two others but can not remember them. Any information on this???
Answer Hi Russell
this is news to me, but I guess it depends on what area of the country it's meant to have been from. Having your first drink of the day in bed sounds pretty full-on to me. The only reference to anything akin to this I know is 'elbow bender', which is drinking in general, usually to extreme - it's where 'going on a bender' comes from I think. I've heard of loads of words to describe advanced states of inebriation - while people here say the Inuit have dozens of words for snow, we seem to have dozens for being drunk and also for mud/dirt and the process of being mucky, the two things perhaps having some direct correlation ...
Sorry not to be of more help - if I do find something out, I'll add it to this answer page!
