Client
A person - usually with a disparaging edge. 'A wudnae trust thon client' = I wouldn't trust that fellow. The word is used as a generic substitute for 'fellow', 'person', or 'character', with the speaker's tone marking the negative judgement.
Etymology
From the standard English 'client', the Latin-derived word for someone who employs a professional. The Ulster Scots use is a small piece of register-borrowing: the formal English business word becomes informal Ulster speech for any character one is sceptical about. Fenton records the construction in The Hamely Tongue. The dipthong sound 'aai' (per Fenton's transcription) is the distinctive Antrim pronunciation.
In a sentence
"A wudnae trust thon client - he's been at the same scheme for years and never delivered yet."
Historical notes
Client in the Ulster Scots sense is a small example of how working-class speech can borrow formal vocabulary for ironic register-shift. Standard English 'client' is the formal word for a professional relationship; Ulster Scots takes the formality and turns it into mild contempt. The construction 'thon client' is the typical use - 'that fellow', usually one the speaker has reservations about.
Sources
- Fenton, James. The Hamely Tongue: A Personal Record of Ulster-Scots in County Antrim. Ullans Press. · dictionary