Gàidhlig / English
Gille-mirean

Gille-mirean

Posted by Kate on Thursday 29th September
This phrase is common in the dialects of Ross-shire, Arran and Skye. A gille-mirean is a ‘spinning-top’ in these places, and it is known as a cire-mirean in Kilmuir, to the north of the Isle of Skye. The community in Arnol, in Lewis, would recognise the gille-mirean as a sprightly, happy, frolicsome man.

If you take look, however, at the meaning behind the phrase in Ross-shire, the people there would say: “tha thu na do ghille-mirean aige,” or “you are his dogsbody!”

In Harris, a clout sgùraidh is the term used to describe this kind of person. This translates literally as a scouring cloth! Pliobair is what they see in Breakish, in the south of the Isle of Skye; and gille-plibire in North Uist. In South Uist, a dogsbody is known as lungaidh. If you haven’t got what you wanted from an arrangement, you could say: “cha socair sam bith sin dhomh/ this has no advantage for me!”
It seems, then, that there is someone who may be ordered around in every Gaelic-speaking area of Scotland! Remember to leave your thoughts and opinions below or on our Facebook or Twitter page.
 
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