The “Haud me back” report - or, to give it its official title, Report on Inquiry intil the role o educational an cultural policy in uphaudin an bringin oot Gaelic, Scots an minority leids in Scotland - caused considerable merriment in the ranks of the national media.
“It’s double Dutch to me,” quipped one hack when MSPs dished up their face-saving report on minority languages (or leids, as readers well know).
A quick check with the Concise Scots Dictionary brings more mystery. Leid apparently means lead, the metal; a large vat; one of the weights of a pendulum clock; the covering of a roof; and the leaden seal of a papal bull.
Not a trace there of any reference to language.
Perhaps the dictionary is too concise? We only ask.