Old Language

[Barry]

Reading an old book from circa 1895 I have come across an old word relating to a colloquial name for a type of bird, which it seems is a bird of prey. So can anyone come up with the modern or common name for a 'Piet'. We think it is old Scot's language, likely local to Aberdeen.

Cheers.
Barry.

[Biarmicus]

Hi Barry,

What is the name of the book?

I looked up the word Piet and it doesn't seem to be a bird of prey but another word for Magpie.

http://www.onelook.com/?other=web1913&w=Piet

Brittney

[Tarqers]

what about a pewitt,,,tarqs

[Gary Timbrell]

My father used to sing a song called "The place where the old horse died" (it was so sad we used to bawl crying over it!). There was a line in it I remember:
"Where the bindweed and the brushwood straggle blindly o'er the bank and the the piet jerks and chatters in the tree".

Must be a magpie so.

[Barry]

The book is called the Warlock Laird of Skene.

We though Magpie too as Piet seems to tie up as an old word for Pied - pied crow = Magpie. However the context does not work quite right, although it could fit. I'll copy the line out and put it on here tomorrow.

Thanks for your help already.
Barry.

[MickeyDredd]

Magpie and the pied reference would make sense given the black and white meaning of Pied.

[Jack Merlin]

My guess is peewit.

Magpies are not common this far north. Virtually none around Inverness or further north. I've heard of pee-anit meaning a peewit, but can't recall where!

Isn't there a Doric dictionary? Doric being the language spoken in Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, etc.

[Barry]

The reason that magpie is in any doubt is there is a description of the 'Piet' killing an owl. It does not describe what sort of owl.

Barry.