Scotland's unwritten pub rules everyone should know about

Over this time, Scotland has developed unique bar etiquette which stands apart from the customs in other parts of the UK.

Whether you are out for the weekend or are having a sneaky pint at lunchtime, there are a number of rules to keep in mind while on the 'bevvy'.

Newsquest readers were asked about their top Scottish pub rules with hundreds sharing their responses. We have selected the best comments and looked into their origins.

Buying a round of drinks and cheering when someone smashes a glass are rules in all Scottish pubs (Getty) (Image: Getty)

What are Scotland's unwritten pub rules and customs?

Here are Scotland's top pub rules and etiquette that everyone drinking in a local bar should know about.

Buying bar staff drinks

Pubgoers will sometimes show their appreciation towards bar staff by tipping them in the form of a drink.

The person behind the bar then has the option to get themselves a drink, reject the courtesy or accept the change as a tip. One reader explained: "If you want served quickly when it's busy, then you buy the barmaid a drink".

The common nod shouldn't be done by the patron with the expectation of receiving something in return and is merely a nice gesture for a job well done.

Cheering when someone breaks a pint glass

A common phenomenon experienced by most pubgoers on a weekend includes the collective ritual of cheering when someone in the pub breaks a pint glass.

Some readers were quick to note this by writing: "When someone breaks a glass everyone must cheer" while another added: "If somebody drops a glass the whole boozer must shout "Waaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy".

This is thought to date back hundreds of years when a smashing glass was seen as a sign of good luck because this meant that the bar was busy.

Another more likely reason is that the noise of shattering glass makes people instinctively look at the person who dropped the pint. By cheering, the awkwardness of the situation is defused.

Buying a round of drinks is perhaps one of the biggest unwritten rules in Scottish and UK pubs (Canva) (Image: Canva)

Buying a round of drinks 

Many readers suggested buying a round of drinks is an integral part of the Scottish pub experience with everyone sitting around the table expected to chip in.

A round of drinks involves one person buying everybody's drink as one order before someone else does the same for the next round.

The common piece of pub etiquette was popularised by Greaves' Rules which were defined by journalist Wiliam Greaves in the 20th Century.

The rules state that when an individual arrives at a pub, it is common practice for them to buy the first round with the unspoken understanding that the companion with reciprocate this.

Football tops

Football can be a touchy subject in Scottish pubs with those in the west of the country more likely to steer clear of wearing football tops in public houses.

Football tops are often only worn in pubs that are known to host certain football fans before, during and after matches.

Walking into a city centre pub with your team's football top on is frowned upon and will often lead to you being kicked out from the establishment.

This even extends to football colours with the combination of green, gold and white or red, white and blue forbidden by some pubs.

This is largely linked to the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers, which has been known to occasionally become violent, especially when alcohol is involved.