Gàidhlig / English
Gaodhachail

Gaodhachail

Posted by Calum on 15th March 2018
Are you feeling that you are doing six things at once, or dealing with matters and working without a break? There’s a word I came across in Seanchas Ìle wherein if one is said to be dealing with multiple work at the same time one is said to be “a’ gaodhachail”...

In our Corpus we have many words that almost mean the same thing. In Loch Portan, North Uist, “cnaidsearachd” means “doing odd jobs” and a person that was always working with wood before carpentery was a recognised occupation in the Western Isles. “Ciofarnadh” in Grimsay, North Uist, means “doing odd jobs round the house”: “Cha robh e ach a’ ciofarnadh mun taigh”. In Garrynamonie, South Uist, “Giofalais” means “doing odd jobs around the house”.

Phrases connected with diligence: “Tha e ag obair aig peilear a’ bheatha” meaning a person that works hard and at “full-steam”. “’S ann air a tha a’ fìleadh” meaning one who works at a rapid rate and with diligence. Perhaps, you are so diligent that you won’t stop your work that you intend to work on through the night. If one is fishing through the night one is “a’ fàradh”. And if one works secretly through the night then a “dròbhach na h-oidhche”(droving of the night) is what one would have been said to be doing.

On the other side of gaodhachail and cnaidsearachd etc. Dwelly records “Sguidilearachd”, meaning poor labour or “dirty work, drudgery”. “Dubh-chosnadh” is connected with it meaning an hard or hard earning. From Harris “bràbladh” is used when one is working in an unorderly or untidy way.

If you are for a bit of fun while you are working there’s a word from Hougharry, North Uist, that’s written in our blogs, “scuidsaireachd” means messing about.

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