| dùsgadh | in the sense of unearthing rocks, stones, boulders. “A’ dùsgadh chlach.” |
| beathach air a’ racadh | when an animal had been laid low by a cold or some other illness. More than an actual cold. [NOTES: ‘racadh’ corrected to ‘ragadh’.] |
| abalta | applied to a forward, bold person. |
| a mhacraich-shìn | a shower of rain and wind. Would pass quickly. [NOTES: corrected to ‘macraich-shìn’.] |
| Cùl-na-Druinnich | a place-name in Kildonan. Thought to be druidical in origin. [Cf. Loch-na-Druinnich.] |
| Loch-na-Druinnich | a place-name in Kildonan. Thought to be druidical in origin. [Cf. Cùl-na-Druinnich.] |
| clach-fhairachaidh | ‘fh’ is silent. A special slab rock which formed a road made of stepping stones leading to an offshore island. The slab in question was always left loose so that when you stepped on one end, the rock rose and clattered down again. This noise acting [as] a warning device for the inhabitants of the island. |
| Aird-a’-Sculapraig | a place-name near Kildonan. The word ‘sculapraig’ came about since stolen cattle were gathered on this bit of ground. |
| biunndadh | to steal, rob. |
| Boinne-Siarach | traditional name for Bornish in South Uist which describes how the village was split into two. [Cf. Boinne-Suarach.] |
| Boinne-Suarach | traditional name for Bornish in South Uist which describes how the village was split into two. [Cf. Boinne-Siarach.] |
| aird shìl | used of a bit of land which was renowned for good crops. On a higher level than other land. |
| galair-an-domalais | fluke. |
| an stad | constipation. [NOTES: ‘an’ put in brackets.] |
| eolas-an-déididh | prior to the era of dentists a certain member of the community would write some words on a small bit of paper. Thereafter the afflicted person was not to look at this paper but to secretly place it under a rock. As the elements eroded the paper the toothache was supposed to wither away simultaneously. |
| fìlainn | leaves which were found in a loch. Gathered and given to cattle to prevent illnesses. [NOTES: corrected to ‘fìlein’.] |
| bun-dearg | if these yellow like pansies were eaten by cattle they would pass blood instead of urine. |
| sgurran | anther word for ‘lòt’ meaning a share of land. |
| a’ sìneadh | to plough, e.g. “An do thoisich thu air sìneadh am bliadhna?” neo “An do shìn thu fhathast?” [NOTES: “a’” put in brackets.] |
| buathallan-boirionn | a stalk which does not flower. When building cornstacks these were placed in the stack every three or four layers. This kept rats from eating the corn. [NOTES: ‘boirionn’ corrected to ‘boireann’.] |
| air an aon ghlòigh | to keep things even, e.g. when cutting corn with a scythe, the stubble ought to be left as even as possible. [NOTES: ‘ghlòigh’ corrected to ‘dhlòith, (*dlòth)’.] |
| breac-an-t-sìl | a little speckled bird with a long tail seen in spring when the ploughing was done. |
| an gearr | a speckled grey bird with a red beak seen on croft land. [NOTES: corrected to ‘an geàrr’.] |
| feadagan | plovers. |
| bòthagan | grey and white birds. Seen on the water’s edge on the shore. Ringed plover? |
| gabhdanach | poking at something. |
| Airigh nam Ban | in Locheynort, South Uist. This place was named after Buckie and Banff who used to live temporarily in shielings. Whilst there they dried their fish on the neighbouring rocks. |
| Tròthasaich | fishermen from Montrose. |
| Cha do sheothain mi air | failing to achieve a target. |
| [Caimbeulach] | “Fhad’s a bhios cabar càm an goill bith an fhoill ’sa Chaimbeulach.” [NOTES: ‘goill’ corrected to ‘coill’ and ‘bith’ to ‘bidh’.] |
| tacharan | a small, mischievous person. |
| mealtreach | submerged roots used to make ropes. [NOTES: corrected to ‘mealtrach’.] |
| gasgan | proper Gaelic word for a rope. |
| builleagan | a long ruffle of seaweed. Frilly on each side with bubbles in its centre. |
| cruageinn | short stubby seaweed which could be eaten. [NOTES: corrected to ‘cruaigein’.] |
| cnodhan-air-staimh | little or large nuts which fell off the heavier end of a tangle. The centre of these nuts were [sic] white. When taken out they could be cleaned and polished and used as trinkets. |
| cnò-snaoisain | one of the aforementioned nuts [i.e. cnodhan-air-staimh (q.v.)] used to store snuff. |
| airne-Moire | these nuts could be shaped into heart or kidney shapes. Carried around as charms. Could be added to a rosary. |
| goileabadh | to scoff or gulp. |
| fainne-a’-cholair | the rounded part of a horse’s collar. |
| fodair | straw. |
| pleasgan | patches. |
| spliachd | a big spread, e.g. a large spread of food at a wedding or other social function. Also used for extensive news coverage of an incident. |
| a’ togail a chìp on tochainn | a feat of strength whereby two men sat opposite each other both holding onto a bit of wood between them. Both sat with their feet pressed against each other. The first person to lift the other person was the winner. [NOTES: ‘tochainn’ corrected to ‘tochain’ and note added above the phrase – ceap-an-tochain, which was most probably meant to be the headword.] |
| moulltair | a mould. [NOTES: corrected to ‘moultair’.] |
| luirgeachan | the part of a tether nearest to the animal. |
| cleas-na-sgithinn | a speed trick involving a knife with three bits of paper on one side. The person performing this moved his hand so quickly that at times he would only have one bit of paper on the knife or two, three pieces. |
| sùil-cheap | guessing game which involved hiding something in a cap. Had to guess what the object was. |
| crùgan | an amount of flour for example which you can lift with your fingers closed together. |
| coileach-Frangach | A variant on the ‘golan gaoithe’ previously described by R. O’Henley. Feathers stuck into a potato and then taken outdoors and used as a spinning top. Required wind assistance. [NOTES: ‘golan’ corrected to ‘gobhlan’.] |
| gille-millain | spinning top. Variant on ‘gille mirain’. [NOTES: ‘millain’ corrected to ‘millein’ and ‘mirain’ to ‘mirein’.] |
| crannlach | a small duck. |
| eoin-bhealltain | young curlews seen in May. [NOTES: corrected to ‘eòin-Bhealltainn’.] |
| cearc-chomain | like a snipe but has a larger beak and is generally bigger than a snipe. Usually seen on moorland but during snow they will come to machair land. Moorhen? |
| seasgann neo bogannach | grew in boggy land especially near rivers. Used for thatch. Long grass – green. [NOTES: ‘neo’ crossed out. Not clear if this means that rather than being two different names of the same plant the two words should be treated as one name ‘seasgann bogannach’.] |
| a’ gounaigeadh | not having anything to do with a certain person or persons. [NOTES: corrected to ‘ag ounaigeadh’ and ‘ag’ put in brackets.] |
| coilleach coille | woodcock. [NOTES: ‘coilleach’ corrected to ‘coileach’.] |
| dunnaltas | dirt and slime attached to an expectant cow. [NOTES: corrected to ‘dunaltas’.] |
| sodalan | applied to a two-faced person. |
| [sgàdach] | “’S toill le bò sgàdach, bò sgàdach eile.” – two of a kind enjoy each other’s company. Birds of a feather flock together. [NOTES: ‘toill’ corrected to ‘toil’.] |
| bruchda-dubh | near spring cartloads of rotten seaweed would be taken ashore. |
| cuir-ma-dhruim | describes furrows falling over each other. |
| rannaghal | reeling off a string of words. |
| lomadair | applied to someone who sheared sheep. Also used in a wider sense indicating that the majority of people in a village were involved in crofting. |
| goirtairean | miserly people. |
| sgeigeire | mocker, fond of mocking. “Bleideire (blether) Baoghlach is sgeigeire Barrach.” |
| sheafaraidh | horses tied on a tether in this bit of land which could be on the croft. Would be tethered here at night. [NOTES: corrected to ‘seafaraidh’.] |
| comhnaidhean | a cluster of dwellings or dwellings in general. [NOTES: corrected to ‘còmhnaidhean’.] |
| botrachan | bit of wood under a horse’s tail which was used as a brake. [NOTES: corrected to ‘bodrachan’.] |
| gliogaire | applied to a useless person. |
| saic mhònadh | a load of peats carried in creels. |
| [fead] | Bheir e fead ort. – would be said prior to someone undertaking a difficult task indicating that it would be achieved easily. |
| geotha | a small narrow bay. |
| ceann-duinn | a natural landing place for boats. Like ‘lamaraig’. |
| clichgeil | sly. |
| druime-grian | a sloping bit of land exposed to much sunshine. Rich and fertile. |
| snaosalan | a flat piece of machair land. Thinks it was a measure of land. Example of this on the machair between Stoneybridge and Penenerine [sic] [Peninerine?]. [NOTES: question mark added next to Penenerine.] |
| clisne | a high plateau of land in a village. |
| ceannachran | a strong support pole running from the top of the wall to the highest point of the gables. At both ends of a house. |
| maide-feannaig | enabled ropes and thatch to be secured. |
| earnais | money. |
| falaid | leftovers after baking. |
| mìn-fheasdrach | brown flour which was mixed with hot water like brose. When it thickened it was eaten like porridge. [NOTES: corrected to ‘min-pheasdrach’.] |
| innsreadh | information. |
| Sgeir-an-Teambuill | now under water but at one time not surrounded by water. One hundred yards from the water’s edge at Kildonan. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century people used to come from the neighbouring Ben Mor once a year at Halloween. |
| clumhraig | a small, snug bay, naturally formed and used as a harbour. |
| sgàir | a large, wide bay. Example at Stoneybridge. |
| [sgiallt] | Gu de bu sgiallt dha – what was the cause of that. [NOTES: note added – from ‘ciall’.] |
| mionnaghlan | whimpering. |
| sùil-air-ròp | eye on rope. |
| lamhradh | applied to someone who was renowned for shouting. [NOTES: corrected to ‘làmhradh’.] |
| feachan | kidding on. |
| spleachain | slippers. |
| tacharra | a small, grey man. |
| cailleach-gaoithe | windmill. |
| cearc-ghreannach | a hen with its feathers curled up. Same as ‘coilleach Frangach’. |
| mollachadh | trickery. |
| bigein bainndean | smaller than a sparrow. Black-chested, brown, grey back and a black collar. |
| eoin-mhùchain | speckled with a long tail. Loud shrill similar to its name – woo, woo. [NOTES: ‘mhùchain’ corrected to ‘bhùchain’.] |
| godhachan | black birds similar to ‘ducair’. Seen on lochs and had its nest near ‘lus-nan-laogh’. [NOTES: ‘ducair’ underlined, probably to show that it should be a separate entry as well.] |
| lacha-bhlàir | coot. |
| iomasgladh | extra, surplus. |
| tàidhean | stringy roots as in thatch which has developed into clumps of turf. Difficult to extract these turfs due to stubborn roots. |
| meann | the young of a goat. |
| anathadh | drawing your breath. |
| at braghad | tonsillitis. |
| splòic | mumps. Traditional word instead of ‘at busach’. |
| a bhreac-otraich | chickenpox. [NOTES: ‘a’ put in brackets and ‘bhreac’ corrected to ‘breac’.] |
| cothachadh | gathering. |
| cnothadan | large whelk. |
| còbran | a small yellow limpet which could be used for bait. Shells could be used for decorative purposes. |
| lamp-eolainn | candle placed on a saucer. [NOTES: ‘eolainn’ corrected ‘eòlain’.] |
| sàill | layer of fat between the pelt and flesh of a seal. |
| leumaire | male whale. |
| mucan-biorach | small whales. Balla de mhucan biorach – a mass of whales moving together. |
| clomhan | a wooden latch on a door. Bit of wood, twelve inches or more in length placed across the the [sic] door. String attached to this and pushed through a hole in the wood. Latch could be lifted like this. Others call this a ‘gliongag’. |
| stang | a small drain to carry water from land which was being ploughed. Prevented the seed being carried away in the water. |
| stapal | an iron latch with an eye in one end. Slipped onto a similar eye in the door frame and secured by a wooden wedge. |
| ceathdubhan | a beast seen in autumn. Black and purple in appearance. Larger than a bee. Had a nest in hay ricks where it stored dead earwigs. [NOTES: note added – variant of ‘ceardubhan’.] |
| daolan-carghuis | larger than the usual beetle and had wings, which were speckled. Only seen at the later [?] season. If killed its insides had an obnoxious smell. [NOTES: ‘carghuis’ corrected to ‘carghais’.] |
| lòchran | vessel in which incense is placed during a benediction service. |
| tuis | incense. [NOTES: corrected to ‘tùis’.] |
| [cat] | “Miann a’ chait ’san traigh, ’s cha toir e fhein as e.” Applied to someone who desired something but was not prepared to get it himself. Literally, although the cat likes fish it does not hunt it himself. |
| culaidh-aifroinn | priests’ vestments. |
| stòl | stole. Round a priest’s neck. From the Latin ‘stola’. |
| làir-aoil | a bricklayer’s hod. |
| tachartasan | crossword. |
| fàlaireachd | another word for ‘marcach’. [NOTES: note added – riding.] |
| struidearachd | using flat stones and trying to achieve a skimming effect on the water’s surface. [NOTES: note added – ducks and drakes.] |
| sgollaireachd aodaich | a quick washing of clothes. [NOTES: ‘sgollaireachd’ corrected to ‘sgolaireachd’.] |
| ramh-sgollaidh | having lost one oar the remaining oar was placed in a V shaped indentation at a boat’s rear. The oar would be moved from side to side bringing the boat to shore. [NOTES: corrected to ‘ràmh-sgolaidh’.] |
| driuchcainn | chaffing between the toes caused by walking barefoot in warm sand. Cured by putting tufts of wool between the toes. [NOTES: corrected to ‘driùchcainn’.] |
| [bannadh] | Tha mise a bannadh dhut. – I bet you. |
| gathan | thick bits of wood which came ashore. Not as thick as ‘sailthean’. [NOTES: ‘sailthean’ corrected to ‘sailean’ and underlined, probably to indicate that it should be a separate entry.] |
| [raith] | Mios ro gach raith a coltais – the month prior to the onset of a new season is always like the impending season. [NOTES: ‘raith’ corrected to ‘ràith’.] |
