Meaning
Do not worry or trouble yourself, and do not make unnecessary effort over the matter. Regional, friendly and usually reassuring. 'Dinna' is Scots, not merely an eye-dialect spelling of standard English. Regional use: Scots and Scottish English.
Origin
Scots 'fash' means to trouble, bother or vex and ultimately comes through French. The word has a long Scots record, while reflexive and shortened reassurances such as 'dinna fash yourself' and 'dinna fash' are well represented in 19th- and 20th-century Scottish writing. It is a native Scots construction, not an invention of modern historical fiction.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- Dinna fash
- Do not fash yourself
Usage Examples
- Dinna fash yourself about the supper; there is plenty in the pot.
- The ferryman waved away the apology with a quiet 'dinna fash.'
- Do not fash yourself carrying that trunk when the cart is coming.