PEE-THE-BED, n.

This nickname is defined in the Dictionaries of the Scots Language (DSL) as:

“the dandelion, from its diuretic properties”.

In The Richt Noise (1988), Raymond Vettese mentions them in verse along with other Spring flowers:

“Yon white starns wi gowden core, the gowans, are on the gress aince mair, an’ pee-the-beds, puir craturs, the true suns; dutch-admirals an’ daffens an’ monie as bricht”.

One writer in the John O’Groat Journal (2011) listed these flowers as potential Valentine’s Day gifts:

“Coming in at number one we have the dandelion, a diuretic known as ‘pee the bed’. Dandelion leaves, which are rich in vitamin C and A, make a delicious tea which you could serve to your beau in a heart-shaped cup. What more could you want during a romantic encounter than to have to run to the bathroom every five minutes?”.

In her memoir of Scottish farm life, Leaving the Land (2011), Anne Ewing recounted:

“You picked dandelions at your peril, as playmates would chant, ‘pee-the-bed, pee-the-bed’ in case this would result in a ‘wee accident’ in bed the following night. The diuretic property of these little yellow flowers was unknown to us”.

And finally, in the bleakness of lockdown, the Derry Journal recorded the advent of Spring (April 2020):

“The hedgerows are beginning to fill with a wide variety of flowers. The most obvious is the dandelion, (pee the bed to every Derry child). Much despised by gardeners as a weed but its brilliant yellow is a welcome addition to the colour palate after the dullness of winter”.

This Scots Word of the Week comes from Dictionaries of the Scots Language.

Visit DSL Online at https://dsl.ac.uk.