What it means
Scots for don’t. It’s the everyday way to tell somebody not to do something, whether you’re warning them, calming them down, or giving them a wee telling-off. You’ll hear it in lines like dinnae touch that, dinnae bother, dinnae fash yersel. Soft or sharp depends on the voice behind it.
Usage examples
"Dinnae bother phoning him the night, he’s away up the road at the pub, and you’ll just get his da on the line."
"Dinnae touch the cooker, it's still red hot from the dinner."
"Dinnae worry yourself about it, we'll sort the whole thing in the morning."
"Dinnae start with me the now, I've no even had my tea yet."
"Dinnae be posting that, man, you'll regret it the minute your maw sees it."
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Where it comes from
Real Scots. Dinnae is the negative form of do, built from din plus nae, with nae doing the job of not. It belongs with forms like cannae and winnae, and it’s been part of everyday Scots speech for generations, not some novelty spelling knocked up for effect.
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