Gàidhlig / English
Caisean-Cumhach

Caisean-Cumhach

Posted by Abi on 2 May 2017
The weather is unpredictable again and it’s getting colder. It even snowed in some parts of Scotland last week! For that reason I have taken the opportunity to look at words about bad weather at this time of year.

Caisean-cumhach na Bealltainn was collected on the Isle of Lewis and means bad weather at the start of May. The phrase was collected in 1972 in South Lochs and it was also collected in Uig.

There are different meanings for caisean throughout the Highlands. In this context it means bad weather which comes at the same time every year, similar to the word rotach. However, if somebody is caisean it means that they are irritable and easy to annoy.

The word clàdan was collected in Tiree and means big snowflakes at springtime. (Edit wrote about clàdan here.) The word oiteag was also collected in Tiree and it means a whirlwind at springtime.

We are very interested in words connected with spring-time and we’d be happy to hear from you. Why not get in touch on Facebook or Twitter and you can also leave a comment under our blogs.
 
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