| 1. An stéidh is am balla |
| am bala stigh | the inner wall. |
| am bala muigh | the outer wall. |
| an glutadh | [masc.] the earthen filling in between the inner and outer walls. |
| an glutranadh (Berneray) | [See an glutadh] |
| barr a’ bhala | [masc.] the top of the wall(s) on which the beams were set. |
| an tobhta | [fem.] [See barr a’ bhala] ‘Tobhta’ also means a ruin in Lewis. |
| 2. Am mullach ’s an tughadh |
| an gad-droma | [masc.] the top beam to which the joists were fixed. |
| cas-a-ceanghail | [fem.] one of the sloping roof joists. |
| ceanghal | [masc.] a pair of sloping roof joists meeting at the ‘gad-droma’ [q.v.]. The size or length of a house was given by the number of ‘ceanghail’. Thus – Tigh och [sic] ceanghail or Tigh mór nan deich ceanghail. |
| na taobhain, | [sg.] taobhan [masc.] the laths nailed across the ‘casan ceanghail’ [q.v.] to support the thatch. |
| na sgrathan, | [sg.] sgrath [fem.] the large flat slating divots were placed over the ‘taobhain’ [q.v.]. |
| tughadh | [masc.] the thatch – could be: Tughadh connlaich no Tughadh fraoich no Tughadh de bhunan eòrna. Bhathar a’ buain no a’ spionadh an eòrna leis a bhun dubh agus ’ga cheanghail. ’Nuair a bha e tioram bhathar a’ sgathadh gach sguaib le coran [sic] mór a dh’aon ghnothaich air son so fhéin – ris an cainte corran sgathaidh. Bha na bunan so air am meas nan tughadh air leth dionach. |
| sioman | [masc.] the binding rope. The thatch was held down with ‘sioman fraoich’ no ‘sioman murain’ or latterly by coir rope still called in Lewis ‘sioman Thearlaich’ after the merchant who introduced it into the island. |
| spàrr | spar or rafter. There was the expression ‘luath mu spàrr’, e.g. Cha chuir e sud luath mu spàrr. – He will not cause any great stir or commotion. |
| fuaraich | drops of rain dripping through the thatch. |
| deathach | smoke. |
| cailleachan suith | hanging strands of sooty substance formed high up on the ‘slabhraidh’. |
| gual | a smudge on the hands or face (not of coal as coal had never been in use of old in Point, Lewis). Anyone having a smudge on the face and not knowing of it would be told: “Cuir do làmh far am beil an gual ort agus gheibh thu do roghainn”. ‘Gual’ is also the black formed on the outside of pots and pans exposed to an open flame. Still also ‘gual’ was the name for cold peat embers. Sgùradh le gual – before the advent of abrasive cleansers, a damp cloth dipped in a very finely crushed cold peat ember would be used on metal in place of sand paper or emery paper. And ‘gual’ for something burnt to a cinder – “Chaidh e ’na ghual dubh.” |
| 3. Dorsan is uinneagan |
| an starsach | [fem.] the threshold. |
| an t-ard dhorus | [masc.] the door lintel. |
| an ursainn | [fem.] the door post. |
| a’ chomhla | [fem.] the actual door. |
| na banntaichean, | [sg.] bannta [masc.] the hinges. |
| a’ ghlas | [fem.] the lock. |
| an claimhean | the bolt. |
| sneic | a hasp. |
| an dorus mór | the main door as opposed to the back door which led into the barn and was called ‘dorus an t-sabhail’. |
| [dorus an t-sabhail] | the back door which led into the barn. |
| dorus an tallain | the door leading into the living room. |
| dorus a’ chulaist | the door leading from the living room to the sleeping apartment. |
| uinneag an teine | the living room window. |
| uinneag a’ chulaist | the bedroom window. |
| uinneag an t-sobhail | the barn window. |
| lòsan | a pane of glass. |
| 4. An broinn an taighe: na sèamraichean |
| cùl an tallain | (behind the partition) The area into which one entered by the front door – the equivalent of the hall in the more modern houses. |
| aig an teine | I think the living room was always referred to like this. |
| cùlaist | [fem.] a bedroom latterly. Earlier it was a closet or windowless room – requiring to be lit. |
| cùil mhònach | a peat-closet. |
| cùil lion | a closet for nets. |
| an airidh | I am not sure what or where this was. I heard this expression ‘Shuas air an airidh’. Could have been a boarding or platform among the rafters. [NOTES: the following comment added later at the bottom of the page.] Have discovered that the ‘airidh’ was not part of the dwelling house – it was a broad shelf or suspended loft in the barn. |
| tallan | partition. |
| clòsaid | closet. |
| 5. An t-àite-teine |
| cladach-an-teine | not clear what was meant by this unless it was directly in front of the fire. |
| cagailt | [fem.] the hearth. |
| branndair | [masc.] the bars of the grating on which the fire rested. |
| slabhraidh | [fem.] the hanging chain above the fire on which pots were suspended. I think it was also the name for the elongated iron hook at the end of the chain. |
| cran | [masc.] may have been ‘crann’ but it was always pronounced like an English word. It was an iron bar across the chimney from which hooks (as above [meaning slabhraidh]) were suspended – if there was no ‘slabhraidh’ [q.v.]. |
| clobha | [masc.] tongs. |
| spòg a’ chlobha | a leg of the tongs. |
| bòcair | a pair of bellows. |
| luath | [fem.] ashes. |
| griosach | [fem.] red hot ashes. |
| gallag | [fem.] the bright red core of the fire. |
| bràthadair | [masc.] a roaring fire. |
| braidseal | a roaring fire. |
| bìugan | [masc.] a small flickering fire. Also applied to a poor light from the lamp. |
| 6. Airneis an taighe |
| angar bùrn | [masc.] the water cask. Water was always ‘bùrn’ in the Point district of Lewis. |
| prais | [fem.] a three legged pot. |
| bord praise | a wooden lid for the pot. |
| sieaghag | [sic] a wooden spurtle. |
| liagh | [fem.] a ladle. |
| leabaidh ard | box bed. |
| bord-slios na leapa | the front or side of the bed facing out into the room. |
| pàma | [masc.] the brightly coloured frill or valance round the bed. |
| séis | a long bench along the wall. |
| being | [fem.] a long bench along the wall. |
| stòl mór | a long stool that would seat two [?] people. |
| stòl beag | a small stool (a single seater). |
| cùrtairean | the window curtains. |
| ciste mhine | meal chest. |
| ciste phlaideachan | blanket chest. |
| bord tuarnair | the dining table – joiner-made with turned legs and drawer – as opposed to the home-made work table. I think I also heard ‘leabaidh tuarnair’. |
| dreasair | [masc.] dresser. |
| bòrd an dreasair | the top or work surface of the dresser. |
| bonn an dreasair | the bottom or cupboard part of the dresser. |
| preas | cupboard. |
| clar-fuinne | baking board. |
| greideal | baking girdle [sic]. |
| corca | a big knife or bread knife. |
| sioltachan | a sieve. |
| siliogan | [masc.] a small cream jug with a spout. |
| cuach | [fem.] a big bowl or tureen. |
| pùlais | [masc.] detachable hanging handle for the ‘prais’ or three legged pot. |
| cluaisean | [masc.] the ‘ear’ on opposite sides of the ‘prais’ [q.v.] into which the ‘pulais’ [q.v.] was fitted. |
| gucag uighe | egg cup. |
| truinnsear domhain | [masc.] a soup plate. |
| truinnsear staoin | a meat plate – any shallow plate. |
| sgian lùthaidh | a man’s pocket knife. |
| measair | [fem.] a small wooden tub used for animal feeding. |
| maodar | [masc.] [See measair] |
| seotal | [masc.] a small compartment in the ‘ciste’ or chest where money and other valuables were kept. |
| baustair | [masc.] a mattress. |
| lamba | a lamp. |
| sifeac | a wick for the above [i.e. lamba (q.v.)]. |
| lamba bheag | a small lamp with a handle for taking from room to room. |
| fleòdar | this was the old name in Point, Lewis for tin. A tin pail or basin used for milk would be ‘peile fleòdair’ and ‘mios fleòdair’. (Is it conceivable that at one time they had pewter utensils?) I do not hear the word now – if there are any tin pails, etc. – it is ‘peile tiona’, ‘mios tiona’. |
| imiolaid | this was a special lid for the milking pail when it had to be carried some distance – as from the sheiling. It was of cured hide, ‘made to measure’ or fitted to cover the top of the pail and come a little way down the sides. |
| 7. Sobhal, bàthach, no bothanan sam bith eile |
| bàthach | byre. [NOTES: it is not clear if the adjective ‘mhór’ added in brackets between ‘bàthach’ and ‘boghal’ refers to the former or the latter.] |
| boghal | the cow’s bed or stall in the byre. |
| stàpull | stable. |
| painnsear | (in Point, Lewis) manger. |
| fasglan | a little ‘bothag’ built on to the front of the house and just missing the front door – possibly a shelter for the front door. |
| bothag nan cearc | hen house. |
| bothag nan uan | the little thatched bothy where the lambs were fed and wintered. |
| sobhal | barn. |
| dileadh | a drain leading out from the byre (I think). |
| stiall | the short tether by which the cow was secured in the stall. |
| feist | the long tether outside. |
| bacan | the tether stake. |
| scalpan | oat chaff. (Point, Lewis) |
| moll | [masc.] barley chaff. |
| rulladh | separating the barley grain from the chaff – an operation quite different from that of winnowing oats as barley chaff is heavier and does not so readily ‘go with the wind’. |
| criathar | [masc.] the sieve, or riddle, used in the above process [i.e. rulladh (q.v.)] – made of perforated sheep hide stretched over a round wooden frame. |
| siolmhol | barley chaff which was not free of grain and could be used for cattle feeding. |
| dias | [fem.] as well as meaning an ear of corn, this also meant a fleck of barley chaff. Most irritating to the skin if a ‘dias’ adhered to one’s clothing. ‘Tha dias air mo dhruim’ could be awful. ‘Tha dias ’nam amhaich’ – worse! |
| suathadh an eòrna | getting the barley grain off the stem by working the tops of the sheaves between the feet – wearing special boots the while. |
| calg | [fem.] the same as ‘dias’ (above) [q.v.] in its irritating prickly sense. |
| a’ deanamh sobhail | this meant the winter’s work in the barn – preparing the barley and oats for milling. |
| spoth an t-sìl | shaking out from among the straw refuse any good grain that had become mixed up in it. |
