In drei Wochen wird der eine oder andere sich wieder fragen, was er da – mit Gleichgesinnten untergehakt, angeheitert bis hackedicht schunkelnd – als traditionelles Liedgut zum Jahreswechsel zum Besten lallt – aus voller Kehle und mehr oder weniger im Gleich‑, wenn auch sicher nicht im Wohlklang…
Nun, was es mit der kryptischen Wendung »auld lang syne« auf sich hat, habe ich unter anderem letztes Jahr hier erklärt. Aber kurz für alle, die’s wirklich nur auf die Schnelle wissen wollen, hier noch mal in Kürze:
auld ist – obsolet / veraltet bzw. schottisch obsolet / veraltet – für old
langsyne / lang syne bedeutet – ebenso obsolet bzw. schottisch obsolet für long since (seit langem, vor langer Zeit, lang is’ her) bzw. hier, wo es als Substantiv / Hauptwort gebraucht wird: die alte Zeit. Impliziert ist selbstverständlich »die gute alte Zeit«
»For auld lang syne my jo, For auld lang syne, We’ll tak a cup o‘ kindness yet for auld lang syne.« Heißt also nichts anderes als »auf die alte Zeit«, auf die man hier anstößt bzw. trinkt…
Für alle, bei denen es ein bisschen mehr sein darf, habe ich in einem meiner Lieblingsschwarten geblättert: Joseph Wright, The English Dialect Dictionary. Vol. I. A‑C. 1898. pp. 94–95. Ich habe hier mal was über diesen bemerkenswerten Mann geschrieben. Heute nur mal seinen Eintrag zu »auld«.
AULD, adj. Sc. e.Cy.
1. Eldest.
Sc. (Jam. Suppl.) Abd. Very rarely used (G. W.). Per. In these parts an oldest son, daughter, brother, or sister is usually spoken of as my auld Son, daughter, brother, or sister: the ‘auld son’ may be a child (ib.). Ayr. My auld son Charlie’s a fine callan, Galt Entail (1823) xii. Lnk. Auld is commonly used about Glasgow in this sense (ib.).
2. The first or best, a phr. used in games (Hall.).
e.An. That is the auld bowl. Nrf. Here, where the game of bowls is much in favour, the term Aul’ bowl, or bowl closest to the ‘jack’ is extremely common (H.C.-H.).
3. In phr. Auld Chiel, see Auld Thief; aul’ day, the day after a merry-making, when no work is done; Auld Hangie, Auld Smith, Auld Thief jocular names for the devil; auld wife, auld woman, a revolving iron chimneypot.
Per. The auld chiel’ or the auld ane is a common name for the devil (G.W.) Bnff.1 A met ’im o’ the go; he’s haudin’ the aul’ day. Ayr. Hear me, auld Hangie, for a wee, Burns Address to the Devil (1785). Abd. Tak’ an order o’ the auld smith, an ye like, Alexander Johnny Gibb (1871) 49. Sc. Their faces were by this time flushed with shame, that they should be thus cuffed about by the auld thief, as they styled him, Perils of Men, III. 38 (Jam.). Auld wife is so called on account of its likeness to an old woman’s head enveloped in a flannel cap. During high winds old-wives and pig-taps [i. e. tops of chimney- cans] are apt to be thrown down, and street walking is dangerous. Hence the severity of a storm, and one’s courage in braving it, came to be represented by the expression, ’raining auld-wives and pig-taps,’ which became corrupted into ‘raining auld-wives and pikestaffs’ (Jam. Suppl.). SIk. There goes an auld woman frae the chumley-tap, Chr. North Noctes (1834) IV. 178, ed. 1856.
4. Comp. (1) Auld-auntie; (2) -father; (3) -headit (Jam.); (4) -mou’d (ib.), sagacious, crafty; (5) ‑uncle.
(1) Cld. Auld-auntie, the aunt of one’s father or mother (Jam.). Ayr. (G.W.) (2) w.Sc. Auld-father, grandfather (Jam.). Ayr, (GAV.) (3) Old. Auld-headit, shrewd, sagacious (Jam.). (4) Abd. She looks ill to ca’, And o’er auld mou’d, I reed, is for us a’, Ross Htienore (1768) 97, ed. 1812. (5) Cld, Auld-uncle, the uncle of one’s father or mother (Jam.). Ayr. (G.W.)
AULD, see Old-.
AULD GIBBIE, sb. Sc. Morrhua vulgaris, or common Cod.
Sc. Satchell. (1879) 8.
(Gibbie, a familiar form of the name Gilbert.)
AULD LANG SYNE, phr. Sc. Nhb. Cum. Also written aud- N Cy.1 ‘Old long ago,’ a phrase referring to bygone days ; the ’good old times.’
Sc. God be wi’ auld lang syne, when our gutchers ate their trenchers, Ramsay Prov. (1737); Johnny Mortheuch might hae minded auld lang syne, and thought of his old kimmers, Scott Bride of Lam. (1819) xxxiv. Per. Wull ye no come wi’ me for auld lang syne? Ian Maclaren Brier Bush (1895) 289. Ayr. We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne, Burns Auld Lang Syne (1793). Bwk. Where in the days o’ auld lang syne The wives were witches a’, Henderson Pop. Rhymes (1856) 52. N.Cy. 1 Aud-lang syne, a favourite phrase by which old persons express their recollections of former kindness and juvenile enjoyments in times long since past. Nhb. I dreamed of auld lang syne, Keelman’s Ann. (1869) 5 Cum. Wish for times like auld lang seyne. Anoerson Ballads (1808) 144. Wm. & Cum.1 The gladsome page of auld lang seyne, 167.
[The phr. means ‘the old long since’; see Lang syne, and Syne.]
AULD LICHT, phr. used attrtib. Sc. Said of ministers and people who are content with the ‘Old Light,’ the old way of looking at theological questions, orthodox, conservative.
Frf. There are few Auld Licht communities in Scotland nowadays, Barrie Licht (1888) ii. Ayr. Some auld-light herds [pastors] in neebor towns. Burns To William Simpson (1785).
AULD-WIFE-HUID, sb. Cum. The Monkshood, Aconitum napellus.
[This name of the plant is der. fr. the manner in which the flowers grow—‘at the top of the stalkes, of a blewish colour, fashioned also like a hood,’ Gerarde (ed. 1633) 971. Hence many other of its various names, such as Face-in-hood, Granny’s Nightcap, Turk’s Cap, Monk’s Cowl, Old Wives Mutches.]
»old lang syne«