What?? by Lewis Cooper

My mate Jock (an unusual name) said this to me just after I’d read out a saucy letter from an imagined girlfriend. It was when I was in the Marines, we were on the Yemen border and bored stiff most of the time. I wrote the letter for a laugh. It fooled no one. Despite that, and Jock coming out with this strange Scottish phrase, both he and my other mates would ask if I’d had any more letters from my ‘girlfriend’. It took me a while to drag the meaning of this phrase out of Jock. I had to admit he was right. I gave him many opportunities to use this phrase...which is why I remember it. He was right of course. Daft I know, but I was young, it was in 1959. In my defence I offer levity. Oh Lord, let there be levity. I wish I’d kept that daft letter. But a 19 year couldn’t imagine he want that letter in his 80s.

Lover the character and the background story Lew . I’ve not worked it out yet . I suppose that’s what you get for telling it to the marines .

Good morning Lewis. Thank you for sharing this story. Yes, there is a dearth of levity in the world at the moment.

I am just listening to radio 3 and there is peaceful a capella work on. Soothing. Probably William Byrd. I am a fan of Renaissance Music as it's all about the voice and people singing together making a combined sound. I suspect there was a dearth of levity during the Renaissance too!

A grand wee drawing Lew! I also haven’t quite worked it out but I guess it just means “you’re daft”! 🤣

The nearest I can recall is trying to learn "It's a braw bricht moonlicht nicht the nicht", a popular Scots tongue-twister. It translates to "It’s a fine, bright moonlight night tonight

Loved the story and what a mighty fine chap he looks

Thanks for your comments. Current events prompted this memory. We were in Aden , then a British Protectorate, now part of the Yemen. It was all about the oil, of course. There was a refinery in Aden. All for nothing as usual, because nothing ever changes.

Enjoyed your story Lew. Your old man o’ the hills is wonderful.

I’m sure Fiona will come and enlighten us all, but we get the gist. What came into my mind was Chaucer’s Wife of Bath, who did the same thing but for a slightly different reason.

A wonderful character and a marvellous story Lewis. Not sure of the true meaning of Jocks remark. Dream on Sonny comes to mind!

Brilliant !!

Super drawing. Never heard that phrase when I lived in Edinburgh, it was more likely to be, 'What's the best thing to come out England, eh? The road to Scotland, pal.'

Or, following on from Tony…” Geordies are just Scots wi’ their brains bashed oot”

Thought it was Rod Stewart for a while, great character, think I know what it means, good one.

Great drawing Lewis.

Simply brilliant character drawing Lew…

😂😂 I suppose the polite interpretation is you are a romancer, Lewis. Or, the more commoner ……yer talking oot yer ****! There’s another your friend may have used…. Awa n bile yer heid! I love your story and your dour looking Scotsman….great Tammie.

Great story and drawing to match.

My mate it meant you’re talking rubbish, or more accurately…as you said..oot yer xxxxx!! He still wanted to hear it though. Sometimes nonsense is what you need.

A great character Lewis and a brilliant story. I bet you chuckle about it every time you think of that distant memory. I bet its as fresh in your mind now as it was then.

Thank you Lewis for sharing such an interesting reminiscence. What a fantastically, interesting, character, with levity in abundance, in such short supply right now.

I love his drawing Lewis, it's absolutely superb. I love your story too, I imagine you, Jock and the rest of your Marine mates would have many a fine tale to tell.

Great story, superbly illustrated.

He definitely looks like a 'Jock' and his tartan Tammy shows that 'Ach I din naw' from what my Scottish phrases recall! We lived in bonny Scotland for a couple of years and many tongue twisters I recall, and being called my husband's Sassonack was always quite punny yet I quite like the term even cannot spell these words, but your Scotsman certainly looks great, could make a series of comic sketches too! Great work Lewis!

Brilliant