| caora stiallach | a sheep that was rather untidy and fast losing its wool. |
| blonaig | body fat. According to informant a sheep buried under snow will survive as long as it has enough body fat. |
| bristeadh airgid | bankruptcy. |
| mùngait | an untidy kind of person who does not care too much about his appearance or about what people think of him. [NOTES: corrected to ‘mungait’.] |
| cloimh | dirt gathering in horses’ hooves. This resulted in severe itching which often led to the stamping of feet, which could be heard from quite a distance. The hooves were cleaned with the substance used for sheep dipping – ‘dupadh’. |
| barra | this was a V shaped indentation made in machair land in winter. Boots would be tied here for the winter season. [NOTES: corrected to ‘bara’.] |
| plùmair | the large buoy which was at the end of the creel rope. |
| crosgagan | strong winds from the north east in spring and autumn. |
| suthail | swell on the sea. |
| tarraing mhór air a’ làn | this refers to the tide rolling up the shore and rushing out again. The extent of the ‘tarraing’ is measured by how far the sea rolls up the shore. |
| stradagan de sneachda | a few snowflakes blowing in the wind. |
| [cow] | An observation first mentioned to me by my father, R. O’Henley, was confirmed during this interview. This observation regards the appearance of a cow a few days after being serviced by a bull. If there are a few spots of blood on the cow’s tail the sex of the calf can be determined as female. However, if there is more bleeding then it can be taken that the cow has not been impregnated and needs to be serviced again. |
| gobachadh de fheur a’ tighinn troimhn’ talamh | stubble of grass showing through. |
| stròn chochdte | a cocked nose. [NOTES: ‘chochdte’ corrected to ‘chochte’.] |
| puighs | a glimpse. “Chaidh mi a null a thaigh Iain ach cha robh puighs ann.” Further to previous definition this can also be applied to an immature person who has not yet seen the light. “Cha’n eil puighs aig an duine sin.” [NOTES: note added above ‘puighs’ – paidhs’.] |
| sneachda an cothrom | snow spread evenly over a district, e.g. all of South Uist. |
| tàc a’ ghabhail | a sailing term meaning that the crew would have to alter direction, either inward or outward according to weather conditions. [NOTES: ‘tàc’ corrected to ‘tac’.] |
| snaod | a trail left on the water’s surface by an otter as it crosses a loch. Apart from its nose, which leaves this trail, the rest of an otter’s body is submerged. “Snaod na biast dhubh.” |
| bil a’ mhullain | this is the level of a cornstack/haystack prior to crowning the stack. |
| saighds | Gaelic version of the English word ‘sides’. For the sides of a cart. |
| siugan | a pet name for a calf who was fed by bucket feed – ‘laogh pùcaid’. [NOTES: ‘pùcaid’ corrected to ‘pucaid’.] |
| luidain | someone who would take anyone else’s advice. |
| luidag | a rag. [NOTES: corrected to ‘luideag’.] |
| cìrein na stuagh | the foam, crest of a wave. |
| “Ma ’se ceol feadaireachd, foghnaidh beagan dheth.” | a phrase meaning enough is enough, e.g. would be applied when mocking someone else. |
| fianndag | means a scrap, morsel. Heard this in the context of cows not leaving a scrap of their feeding. |
| déireach | dull, aggravating pain in your gums. |
| diu(gh)rais ri cheile | a number of people whispering among themselves. |
| buaille mu’n gheallach | halo on the moon. |
| ceann dubh | eclipse. |
| geallach mhùgach | a film of cloud over a moon. |
| Grioglachan | Milky Way. |
| ré | moon. |
| teine adhair | thunderbolt. |
| gaoth peidhreach | hurricane. [NOTES: ‘peidhreach’ corrected to ‘pei(dh)reach’.] |
| sìde spliucach | drizzly, snottery weather. [NOTES: ‘spliucach’ corrected to ‘spliugach’.] |
| cléideag | snowflake. |
| cathadh làir | wind driven powdery snow. |
| cathadh mara | spindrift. |
| siaban | spindrift. |
| eileanan mara | tidal islands. |
| fadhail | ford. |
| àrd bhùinn | threshold. |
| sòrn | raised platform at a kiln. |
| sorrachan | fireplace. |
| sioman | a heather rope above the fire used to dry clothes or fish. |
| ballan | barrel. |
| seapan | a quart measure equivalent of two pints? Quarter of 1 pint? |
| lìopain | a dry measure of flour and grain. |
| deann | a large plump of rain. |
| cnap | a heavy cloud formation overhead. |
| fionnar | fresh, crisp weather. |
| tais | damp weather. |
| ciurrach | a fine drizzle. |
| bog-balbh | calm weather, dead calm. |
| léibhidh | not totally sure of this but informant thinks this means either a soum of land or the amount of animals appropriate to pasture on amount of land. |
| duine eubhaiseach | a large person. |
| leubhainn | a grain loft in a mill. Children not encouraged to play here in case they fell. |
| peursa | a signal pole fixed on the highest hill in a village. Villagers gathered when it was lofted. |
