1. Different stages in the growth of cattle |
laogh tairbh | bull calf. |
laogh boireann | quey calf. |
gamhainn | up to 3 years of age. |
agh | [cow] bearing the first calf. |
damh | castrated bull or bullock. |
mart-làmhaidh | a cow fattened for slaughter. |
bó bhoinne | a milch cow, any age. |
bó bhloghainn | a milking cow (actually in milk, any age). |
bó laoigh | a cow of calving age, older than agh [q.v.]. |
2. Breeds of cattle |
crodh-Gaidhealach | Highland cattle. |
crodh-Gallda | e.g. Ayrshire, Shorthorn etc. |
3. Outward appearance of cattle |
bó dhonn | |
bó dhubh | |
bó riabhach | |
bó bhreac | |
bó odhar | |
bó stiallach | |
sgiamhach | fat with shiny coat. |
culan | fat, e.g. Tha culan math oirre. |
starrach | lean and bony. |
cruaidh | lean, e.g. ’S ann cruaidh a tha i. |
seang | lean, no belly. |
air thogail | so poor and weak that the animal had to be lifted to its feet. |
stùdhach | short in the tail. |
gireach | poor, dry-looking coat. (Pronounced with English ‘th’ sound instead of Gaelic ‘R’.) |
lom | lean in flesh, short in coat. |
lothach | bedraggled. (Pronounced with English ‘th’ sound, i.e. ‘loth’ as in English ‘cloth’ but with the Gaelic double ‘l’ sound at the beginning of the word.) |
[cramhan] | ‘Tha na cramhan gos tigh’nn troimh na chracann.’ |
4. Names for certain beasts, e.g. an animal on which the owner bestows particular attention |
sùileagan | It could also mean e.g. a person who had been in very good circumstances and who, through his own foolishness, became reduced to lowly straits. Tha e ’na shùileagan a measg nan daoine. |
5. Parts of the body |
stròn () | [fem.] |
duileasg na stròine | membrane inside the nose. |
calg () | [masc.] hair. |
seich () | [fem.] hide. |
ochd | breast. |
crumhanan | hoofs. |
crumhanan beaga | fetlocks. |
creamh-droma | back-bone. |
smior-cailleach | spinal cord. |
crudha-deiridh | hind quarters. |
crudha-cinn | fore quarters. |
losaid | hip. |
sùil a leis | hip. |
ùrubull (earbull) | tail. |
bun | top end of tail. |
bàrr | end of tail. |
ùgh | udder. |
sinean | teats. |
fèithean | muscles. |
sgòrnan | trachea. |
ubhal a’ sgornain | larynx. |
staoig an amadain | spleen. |
domalas (domblas) () | [masc.] gall-bladder. |
poc an tairbh | the testicles. |
na clachan | the testicles. |
slat an tairbh | the penis. |
cochull | sheath from which penis emerges. |
it itheach | gullet. |
maodal () | [fem.] big stomach. |
am brailean () | [masc.] small stomach. |
na caolanan | intestines. |
na caolanan gorma | small intestines. |
na caolanan glas | small intestines. |
an caolan mor | large intestine. |
geir | abdominal fat. |
na lòineachan | fat round the kidneys. |
streibhinn | a thin piece of skin, such as the diaphragm, or e.g. the fat on the stomach of a lean animal. “An robh tòrr geir oirr?” “Cha robh. Dìreach streibhinn bheag air a mhaodal.” |
6. Calving |
dàir | “Tha an dàir air a bhoin.” The cow is abulling. “Chaidh a bho a dhàir.” “Dhàir an tarbh a bhó.” The cow was bulled (successfully). |
leum dàir | the successful mount of the bull. |
salachar an tairbh | semen left by the bull. |
fiadhaichean | seen hanging from the genital organs of the cow, usually a sign that she needs the bull. |
gleodhan | seen hanging from the genital organs of the cow, usually a sign that she needs the bull. |
breith a’ laoigh | |
am balg uisg | bag of water surrounding the calf. |
leabaidh a’ laoigh | uterus. |
salachar | placenta. Salachar an tairbh – semen. |
casan ladhrach | the soft white underpads on a calf’s feet, used to be roasted on the fire and eaten. |
7. Milking |
[strideag] | ’Bleoghan gu na strideig mu dheireadh – [milking to the last drop]. |
ùnns | milk yielded after calving. |
miodair | a wooden vessel for feeding calves. |
ceada | a wooden pail, very sturdy, with iron hoops and an iron handle which had a wooden roller in the centre. This roller was the ‘grip’. These wooden pails were not made locally – they were bought in the shops.
|
muga seapain | quart jug (as supplied by the tinkers). |
muga cheaird | quart jug (as supplied by the tinkers). |
peile beag | [pail that] held about two or three quarts. |
peile caol | a narrow, tall pail holding double that of the the peile beag [q.v.]. |
peile mór | held, perhaps, more than double the peile caol [q.v.]. |
peile-strùbach | bigger than the peile mòr [q.v.]. It had a spout on it. (All these pails were bought from the tinkers (except the ‘ceada’ [q.v.]). They were usually supplied complete with tin lid shaped like a flat cone.)
|
an cliabh fodair | some cows (as a result of bad habit) did not yield their milk without being given a small quantity of succulent grass, turnip leaves etc. This was carried to them in a creel. Dried backbones of fish, such as cod, also served the same purpose. This saved carrying ‘fodder’ when the cows were at the shielings miles away from the villages. |
buarach | a piece of rope for tying the two hind legs together. It was sometimes made of plaited string with a loop and toggle i.e. dul agus crag. |
8. Feeding |
sopag fheòir | a handful of hay. |
muilnean feòir | an armful of hay. |
ultachan feòir | a double armful [of hay]. |
bad coirc | a sheaf of oats. |
bad eòrna | a sheaf of barley. |
adag | stook. |
comhlach | straw. |
stràileach | straws left behind e.g. when a field was not raked properly. |
ag innis | Tha an crodh ag innis as a bhuaile. |
a’ cur a mach a’ chruidh | |
a’ cur a steach a’ chruidh | |
buachaille | |
banabhuachaill | |
buachailleachd | |
a’ glanadh a’ bhaile | driving all the cattle to the common grazing. |
a’ glanadh a’ chùil | driving all the cattle from the common grazing, usually sending them to the moor. |
stocan càil | given to the cows to make them yield their milk: ‘gus a leagadh iad am boinne.’ [See also ceithle chàil] |
ceithle chàil | given to the cows to make them yield their milk: ‘gus a leagadh iad am boinne.’ [See also stocan càil] |
a’ cleith a bhoinne | the term used for [cows] with-holding their milk. |
9. Apparatus |
stiall | Tha a’ mart air a stéill. I think this was the post to which the cow was tied. |
smiathag or perhaps smiag | again, I think this was the piece of rope which was tied round the [cow’s] neck. |
feisd | rope, made of heather at one time, for tying a cow while grazing. The end was fixed to a stick driven into the ground. |
am bacan | the stob to which the feisd [q.v.] was tied. |
deadhann | a rope tying the forelegs of horses so that they would not stray. (Pronounced: de-ay-ann, ‘de’ as in ‘deoch’.) |
10. Diseases |
a’ chleimh | itchiness. |
séid | swelling. |
mialan | lice. |
gartain | ticks. |
fiarsannanan | warble-fly – grub in the hide. |
an tòc | affecting the whole animal but located in the eye. “Thug e an tòc dhi.” He performed this particular operation to the eye of the cow. (Peculiar to West Uig, Lewis – not believed in by Vets.) |
an teas bralain | some sort of indigestion. (?) |
a’ spùt | diarrhoea. |
11. Miscellaneous |
“trobhad, siugan, siugan, siugan beag” | call to a cow. |
“trobhad, piatan, piatan, piatan beag” | call to a calf. |
‘Bha i ’na pliana ann a shid.’ | she was lying completely helpless. |
buachair na ba | cow dung. |