Buster
September 12th 2026
The Dictionaries of the Scots Language (DSL) tell us that this, “dish of potato chips and hot peas” is a Dundonian delicacy. They were sold at buster stalls.
Many late examples of the term take the form of reminiscences, as in the following from the Scotland on Sunday in April 1996: “Generations of Dundonians have enjoyed the delights of a buster – chips and hot peas – a combination said to have been invented by the descendants of Belgian immigrant Edward de Gernier”.
Busters seem to have been highly prized. The Dundee Evening Post covered an incident in March 1903 where one seaman, “was quietly enjoying a ‘buster’ in a fried fish shop in Ladybridge Street, Arbroath, with a few friends … [when] another seaman, came into the shop and took a taste of his … potatoes”. One being the worse for drink, a fight ensued.
Another altercation appeared in the Dundee Evening Telegraph in January 1937, where one man assaulted another, “by throwing hot peas and potatoes in his face. [The] Accused said he was carrying a bowl with peas and potatoes in it. ‘That is a buster’ he explained [to the Bailie]”.
A far more light-hearted story featured in the Dundee Courier in February 1972, covering twelve-year-old popstar Neil Reid’s visit to the city. Neil told the paper’s reporter, “he thought the folk of Dundee were very nice, and also that he was feeling hungry! Between mouthfuls of a ‘buster’ he said his hand wasn’t too sore signing hundreds of autographs”.
Dictionaries of the Scots Language would like to thank Bob Dewar for illustrating our Scots Word of the Week feature.
