Dinna fash yourself

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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

  1. Fash Dictionaries of the Scots Language
  2. Dinna fash A Way with Words

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.

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