What does fash mean?
Fash means to trouble, annoy, or vex, and reflexively to worry or fret oneself about something. It survives as one of the best-known words of Scots, the traditional language of Lowland Scotland, where it remains in daily use both as a verb and, less often, as a noun denoting bother or fuss. Its most famous form is the reassuring imperative 'dinnae fash yersel'' — literally 'don't trouble yourself' — which functions much like the standard English 'don't worry'. Fash entered Scots from Old French in the early modern period and was embraced by poets such as Robert Burns, whose comic verse helped fix it in the national consciousness. Outside Scotland it appears mainly in dialect literature or by deliberate quotation, so it carries an informal, warmly regional flavour. For anyone engaging with Scottish speech or writing, fash is an essential word to recognise, and its friendly, consoling usage makes it a charming piece of vocabulary to adopt.
To trouble, vex, or annoy someone; reflexively, to worry or fret oneself.
"The bairns fashed him a' afternoon wi' their constant requests."
Commonly used in the negative imperative 'dinnae fash (yersel')' to mean 'don't worry'.
Trouble, annoyance, or fuss.
"It's no' worth a' the fash."
Less common than the verb; largely confined to Scots contexts.
As a noun, fash takes the standard plural form 'fashes'; the plural is rare and mostly historical or dialectal.
"He's had mair fashes this week than he can count."
If you've ever been told to 'dinnae fash yersel'', you've received classic Scottish advice: don't fret yourself over it — a phrase Robert Burns himself used to comic effect.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fash
Fash derives from Old French, specifically from verbs such as 'faschier' (modern French 'fâcher', to anger), and was borrowed into Scots around the early modern period. It became firmly established in Scots speech and literature, notably in the poetry of Robert Burns. Its ultimate further origins are uncertain, so any deeper ancestry should be treated cautiously.
Related word forms
How fash is actually used
Fash is chiefly a Scots word, still very much alive in everyday Lowland Scottish speech, especially in fixed expressions like 'dinnae fash yersel''. It reads as informal and folksy outside Scotland, where it may strike readers as quaint or dialectal. Burns and other Scots poets used it freely, giving it a literary pedigree unusual for a dialect term.
Easily confused with fash
Fuss is the standard English word for needless agitation or a commotion, while fash is the Scottish equivalent, meaning to trouble or fret, and carries a distinctly Scots register.