ext_22722 ([identity profile] theidolhands.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] 1word1day2013-02-26 08:07 am
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Tuesday Word: Neeps

neeps (ˈniːpz):
origin: (predates 12th Century) Middle English nepe, from Old English nǣp, from Latin napus

noun
(Brit, chiefly Scottish) a dialect term for turnips
→ as in: Haggis w/ "bashed neeps" & champit tatties





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[identity profile] kryptyd.livejournal.com 2013-02-26 09:42 pm (UTC)(link)
I've always wondered what neeps 'n tatties were. Well I clearly didn't care enough to google it, but I always wondered when I heard the phrase. Guessed what the tatties were, naturally enough. Is this because Scottish people say "tur-neeeps".

[identity profile] theidolhands.livejournal.com 2013-02-26 10:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Welp, I'd ask a Scottish person to be certain (been watching a lot of Scots tv lately), but otherwise I'd assume it's for the reasons stated in the origin of the word above -- it's simply ancient dialect that's hung around.

[identity profile] prettygoodword.livejournal.com 2013-02-27 02:06 pm (UTC)(link)
I'd ask instead how tur- got stuck on the front of nepe.

---L.

[identity profile] sileni.livejournal.com 2013-03-01 11:01 am (UTC)(link)
It's a good question! But having lived in the Highlands for a year, I can definitely say that Scottish people pronounce 'turnips' as 'TURRRnips'

I've also heard of a 'neap tide' which I'm never sure has any significance.
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