Chanty cracks

Higher education’s established promises and alliances are under strain as Covid-19 squeezes finances

Playbook’s old Glaswegian grandmother had a rich turn of phrase. One of our favourite expressions we learned at her knee was: “There’s a helluva stink when the chanty breaks.”

This colourful idiom literally describes what happens when the contents of a full chamber pot are spilled. Metaphorically, it can refer to the unfortunate consequences of a falling out among friends or a promise not being kept.