Scottish word of the day: Plook

THEY can be unsightly and unpleasant, and some people devote much of their time to getting rid of them, but the plook has recently taken on two different meanings.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Nov 2013, 21:28 GMT
New Cumnock, the 2013 'Plook on the Plinth' winner and Scotland's 'worst' town. Picture: Mark Chalmers/ContributedNew Cumnock, the 2013 'Plook on the Plinth' winner and Scotland's 'worst' town. Picture: Mark Chalmers/Contributed
New Cumnock, the 2013 'Plook on the Plinth' winner and Scotland's 'worst' town. Picture: Mark Chalmers/Contributed

The word plook typically refers to a spot or a pimple, and is thought to come from the Middle English ‘plouke’ or the German ‘plock’.

An affliction that has befallen teenagers from Scotland and beyond for many years, the dreaded plooks are exactly the sort of thing that people try to draw attention from.

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This perhaps explains the decision by architecture magazine Prospect (now known as Urban Realm) to set up the ‘Plook on the Plinth’ award for Scotland’s most dismal town.

Rather than hiding Scotland’s architectural spots, the magazine’s ‘award’ looks to bring them out into full view so that something can be done to improve them.

The awards have run yearly since 2000, with public nominations decrying towns up and down the country. Whether those putting in the nominations are just trying to deflect attention from their own plooks, we’ll never know.

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