To love the word outwith

[en0la]

I think it's a great word which is grossly underused outside its native Scotland.

In fact I could say I've gotten rather fond of it.

oh god. predictive text is so crappy.

like = write
sign = sign

Where I'm from, 5.45 to 6 would be the fore side of 6. But I think that's fairly unique to a small part of Scotland.

@FortunesFave

Can we have examples of how to use "outwith" please?

That ball is within the box, but that ball is outwith the box. This item is being returned outwith the permitted return period.

Love it. Use it all the time. I don't think it's pompous at all, especially in Scotland. I make a point of not removing it when spell check gets all red wavy lined because it's a real word and if I'd wanted another word, I'd have used it.

@WeatherwaxLives

Outside office hours isn’t a phrase, is it?

It absolutely is, it's on mine and all my colleagues answerphone messages.

'outside office hours, if your enquiry is urgent, please redial xxxxxx.'

See... I’d use outwith, obviously, lol... but failing that, I’d use after or outside of, outside by itself just doesn’t sound right to me.

But either way, outside and outwith aren’t quite the same.

Lots of words are almost like other words, but not quite.

@GintyMcGinty also a big fan of "the back of" for flexible time.

The more people try to explain how outwith and outside “aren’t quite the same”, the more it seems to me they are in fact the same.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar thanks!

The more people try to explain how outwith and outside “aren’t quite the same”, the more it seems to me they are in fact the same.

There is a difference but it's subtle and contextual.

@PuppyMonkey

The more people try to explain how outwith and outside “aren’t quite the same”, the more it seems to me they are in fact the same.

And to me!

I think it must be because they wouldn't use outside in a given sentence, because they would use outwith. But when outwith isn't an option...

And I'm so confused by one PP saying outwith the garden walls isn't right, and another saying outwith the box is! I don't understand the difference

Anyway, it's the back of 1 so I need to get in the garden before the rain comes!

@PuppyMonkey

The more people try to explain how outwith and outside “aren’t quite the same”, the more it seems to me they are in fact the same.

It’s subtle, lol...

You’d never say for instance - the bin is just outwith the back door, not without it sounding ridiculous anyway

And in other places where you would use outwith then outside isn’t always the usual word you’d replace it with.

It’s like trying to explain the difference between say, happy and joyous to a non English speaker. They’re the same, but also not.

Ah yes I use it a lot. I only recently realised it was a Scottish thing

I was brought up in the north of England and it's a word I've used all my life, so maybe some overlap. The same with the turnip/swede thing.

I had never heard it until a few years ago despite being from NE England. It is a Scottish word and none the worse for that. People tend not to use that often in England. Just like gotten tends to be American for the English got.

what a lovely word, outwith. I've never come across it.

And I like gotten as well.

I'm Scottish, live in Scotland and use outwith all the time. It's a completely normal word. Like many Scots I "switch" language all the time speaking "Standard Scottish English" - a real term - in more formal situations or at work, and a mixture of the above and Scots (the language) - also a real term - at others. I use outwith in all situations though. As well as jings, completely unironically.

Yous I'd not use when I was speaking in a formal situation, gotten isn't something I'd really say eg it's gotten cold - I'd usually say it's got awfy cold

Back of 5/7/2 whenever used constantly. Has anyone mentioned "just afore"?! Use that too - see you at 2 or just afore.

I wouldn't use it for the ball example a pp used - "that ball is within the box, this one is outwith the box.". (But I wouldn't use within either, I'd just use 'in').
I wouldn't use it to describe a physical location I don't think, it is more likely to be something like 'outwith the scope' etc. Maybe that's why outside doesn't really work for me as a direct alternative.

It's a great word and I only recently discovered it's not widely used outside Scotland. (outside sounds better to me than outwith in that context since I'm describing a physical place).

@tabulahrasa

It’s so subtle as to be non existent.

There isn’t a single example so far of people using “outwith” in a sentence where it wouldn’t just be “outside” for the rest of us.

I get that it’s just a lovely Scottish thing but I don’t get you all trying to say it’s got some subtle different meaning.

@NeonK

I wouldn't use it for the ball example a pp used - "that ball is within the box, this one is outwith the box.". (But I wouldn't use within either, I'd just use 'in'). I wouldn't use it to describe a physical location I don't think, it is more likely to be something like 'outwith the scope' etc. Maybe that's why outside doesn't really work for me as a direct alternative.

It's a great word and I only recently discovered it's not widely used outside Scotland. (outside sounds better to me than outwith in that context since I'm describing a physical place).

Yeah... you’d not use it usually for physical stuff.

Except possibly estate agents, I’m sure I’ve seen - this property lies just outwith the boundaries of such and such popular town...

But that’s because they use language oddly - on purpose. So that makes sense, but you’d pull that face if someone actually talked like that.

Oh I love outwith. I'm Scot but have lived outwith Scotland for 30 years. Still use outwith.

To those finding it hard to discern the difference between 'outside' and 'outwith', just think of them like 'inside' and 'within': similar, but different.

Outside is the opposite of inside; outwith the opposite of within.

And George Michael wouldn't have said "Let's go outwith". It doesn't mean outdoors!

"I suppose it does, I'd never really thought about it that way. But back of still doesn't make sense to me even then. Surely just after 5 is the front of 6 in that case? confused

Honestly, if someone said what time is back of 5 and I had to guess, I'd guess 5.45 to 6pm. But now I'd know!"

...but 5.45 is closer to 6pm than it is 5pm, so that would be just before 6. Or do you mean that it can't be after 5 o'clock until it's 6???

I don’t get you all trying to say it’s got some subtle different meaning.

The subtleties may be outwith the understanding of some.

The back of is a weird one btw... I grew up way up on the west coast and had never heard it, confused me for years once I moved to the central belt because to me, the back of 5 sounds like it should mean the back end of the hour, so close to 6.

Okay the within/outwith thing makes more sense, thank you!

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats

I agree OP. Outwith is a great word. I'm married to a Scot & lived in Scotland for a while so probably picked it up from one or the other. I use it regularly. We also use 'snib' in our house and thats another Scottish word I really like.

Are you using snib to mean a lock or a nose?

I use it for both!

It was only in the last year or so I discovered outwith was a predominantly Scottish word, I use it all the time, I've probably even used it on this site.
I agree with the previous posters who have said it isn't interchangeable with outside as it does mean something different. You would say "that's outwith my control", "that's outwith the realms of possibility" same as you could change those phrases to "within my control/within the realms of possibility", you would not say "that is inside my control...etc"

Wee=little/small but can also be used to replace cheeky in the way people say "a cheeky Nando's" "a cheeky pint".

"Back of five" is 5:01-5:30, then it turns in to "afore six" 5:31-5:51.

For years us Scottish people have been told that these words are slang/scruffy but they are not, most of the words described that way are, as a previous poster said, Scottish English - aye, naw, bairn/wean, hoose, feart, shoogly are all examples of Scottish English.

There are of course regional differences, even by just a few miles, for example when saying "The children are in the garden",I would say "The children are out the backdoor", that is probably very regional to my area.