STROUPIE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2541, 26 November 1902, Page 69

STROUPIE.

By. Alec. Alan. Stroop or stroup (pronounced alike) is a Scottish word meaning spout — the spout of a kettle or watering-pan. Stroupie is a diminutive form, and is applicable to a small spout — say, one of a small teapot. Indeed, by a figure of speech, the teapot itself comes to be called stroupie, just as a man with a prominent or peculiar proboscis might be nicknamed "Nosey." Apropos of stroupie, I may tell you a little story dating from student days. But first let me premise that the word "burn " in Scotland means "creek," in addition to its English signification. There are really two words of the same spelling, but of different origin. With regard to the one under notice, its use came about thus : — A creek or streamlet was frequently utilised in early days as a "bourne," or boundary between farms and freeholds ; hence the transference of the term, slightly changed, to the brattling .beck or the gliding river. But to the story.

A son of the cottage, after diligence at school under a college-bred dominie, was sent to and kept at the university by the ambitious economies of his honest rustic parents. When his four years of study culminated in graduation, he returned home to enjoy such comforts as a proud mother heaps upon a successful son, and to rest for a week or two after the hard grind of months prior to examination. He took home with him a chum who had been his friend from matriculation days. Before these two learned young men the motb»r whose language was usually Scotch of the purest, made various attempts to speak English, and succeeded about as well as the usual home-taught Englishman does in trying to speak Scotch or French. Both of the young men appreciated the beauties of the auld Scotch tongue much more than they had been lately taught to appreciate the differences between the Doric and the Attic in Greek. They often took pleasure, as chums, in speaking their motner tongue together, chaffing one another in it, and sometimes "swapping swatches" (exchanging samples) of verses written in the Scottish dialect, as those who affect English call it. Now, being in high spirits from their victory and freedom from drudgery, they took a, boyish revenge on the mother by answering all her polite inquiries in "braid Scotch," and when, in their honour, she produced her finest china teapot, her cheeky son said: "Eh, mither, whaur's stroupie?" "She is banished for the present," primly replied his mother, and proceeded to pour out tea from the newfashioned one. It did not do its duty very well, and the chum remarked, "Its gey new-fangled-like." "Yes," said his hostess, "it does not pour well ; it makes a small stream. The leaves seem to be choking it." To remedy the fault, which was one that the discarded stroupie did not have, she lifted it on high and blew into the spout. Whether it was on account of the height, or the strength of her lungs, or both combined, is not known ; but a considerable quantity of hot tea was scattered over her face, and she was rather painfully scalded. While flying to her assistance, Her son could not help remarking : "It was a small stream before, but ye've made a muckle burn o't noo, mither!" " 'Deed, ay, laddie," said the suffering woman, returning to her "weelkent" tongue, "a rackon we'll hae to tak to stroupie after a." So they had a comfortable tea brewed in the favourite old brown pot that had served them for years.