The complete alphabet of ALL Edinburgh essentials

It’s time to get clued up on the Edi basics


Now that it’s almost December, we can no longer deny that exam season is looming.

But before you mask up and spray down the library tables ready to hit the books, we thought we’d kick off your revision with the basics. And by that we mean the Edinburgh basics.

So get ready to sing your ABCs, as we take you through an alphabetic list of all things Edi.

A is for Arthur’s Seat

Climbing Arthur’s Seat is a MUST for all freshers. Don’t make it to the top and you’ll either fail your degree or have four years bad sex…

B is for Bongos

Edi’s DnB hotspot. Everyone claims to like the music but they’re really just there for the smoking area.

C is for Cowgate

Home to The Three Sisters, Hive, Subway, and Mash House, to name a few. Cowgate is basically the Oxford street of clubs and bars.

D is for daddy’s money

‘Uber anyone? Don’t worry…it’s on daddy’s card’

E is for Echo Falls

Cheap and cheerful, it’s perfect for any occasion and not to mention the secret to any Edi girl’s heart.

F is for flares

The official Edinbu’rah’ uniform.

G is for Garibaldi’s

FREE weekday entry, cheesy tunes, a pole in the middle of the dance floor, a Gari’s special in hand, all means you know you’re in for a mad one (and a mild case of hangxiety in the morning. Don’t worry the pole gets the best of us all).

H is for the Holy Trinity

Eton, Harrow and Radley. Whilst boys are rare around here, there’s a high chance that any of these elusive species you come across went to one of these schools.

I is for iced coffee

A library essential. Any freshers who don’t like coffee? Don’t worry, give it a week and you’ll be needing a Starbucks loyalty card in no time.

J is for Jujus

Lulus, Jujus…whatever it’s called now, is the only place to be on a Monday night. How can you resist the £1 shots?

K is for the King’s Buildings

Putting this one in here because you’ve probably never heard of it. King’s is the main campus of the College of Science and Engineering. It’s a bit of a trek but saved by the free King’s Building shuttle bus running from Bristo Square.

L is for Lidl

Not sure about big on quality but its definitely ‘Lidl on price’.

M is for mullet

A trend set by the trust-funded freshers in Pollock. But be careful, this style seems to be more contagious on the streets of Edinburgh than the coronavirus.

N is for North Face

An Edinburgh essential. No matter what the season, there’s guaranteed to be at least 10 of these coats within a five foot radius of you at any time. They’re a way of life.

O is for online

Whilst club nights and socials are in full swing, lectures and tutorials remain largely pre-recorded, and we all still awkwardly sit on Zoom, cameras off, mics muted. Makes sense…

P is for Pollock

The home of gap ‘yahs’, mullets, curtains, and Y2K fashion. This is the natural habitat of all the private school kids who couldn’t bear to leave boarding school just yet.

Q is for queuing outside of WhyNot on Wednesdays.

Sports night and socials. Be prepared for rugby boys and drunk freshers doing socials dressed as school girls, fish, bugs and other bizarre get-ups.

R is for ‘Rah, where’s my baccy?’

Not sure this one needs an explanation. At this point it’s not even a joke.

S is for Soul Sushi

Nothing hits the spot quite like their £5.5o Katsu curry.

T is for Tennent’s

A true Scottish delicacy.

U is for Urban Angel

THE go-to brunch spot right in the city centre.

V is for VKs

Four for £10 at Big Cheese…the downfall of all freshers.

W is for wraps

A go-to, library lunch staple. The question is do you Nile Valley or Africano?

X is for xsbrjkrwij

What your texts start to look like after one too many Gari’s specials.

Y is for Yum Yum

Is there anywhere else to go at 3am?

Z is for Zara

The official Edi girl uniform shop. Just be warned, there’s bound to be about 10 others wearing that jumper you just bought.

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