Measgaichte / Miscellaneous

Informant(s)
Name
Marion Montgomery
Location
Harris
Date
1967
langadalNotes: seaweed found far out in very rocky ground, in long strips. Seems to be a general term.
làthachNotes: silt on the seashore.
lionradh[ʎĩə̃rɑɣ] Notes: part of the beairt-dhealbh.
lonaid[ɫɔ̃n̪idʹ] Notes: the stick moved up and down in churn.
madadhNotes: clam. Collected only at very low tides in the spring.
madhair[məəɾ] Notes: hook with a piece of wool attached for catching mackerel or lythe. Had to be the right size. Sometimes a very small piece of red thread was added to attract the lythe.
maighistirNotes: urine used in process of wool-dyeing and also in washing the cloth free from oil.
maistreadh[mɑ̃ʃtʹɾəɣ] Notes: churning.
meung[mjəŋɡ] Notes: the thin liquid left when crowdie was made, whey.
milcean[mĩlkʹɑ̃ṉ] Notes: seaweed which grows quite far out on the rocks. Smallish strips which can be eaten.
min-eàrraidh (?)[mĩɲɑ:ri] Notes: part of a loom.
miosair[mĩsəð] Notes: a wooden basin used for milk.
muirsgean[mũ̜sɡʹɑ̃ṉ] Notes: found in the sand, detected by means of holes in the surface.
mùrachQuotation: mùrach anns a ghainmhich. Notes: digging in the sand.
mùsgan[mũ̜:sɡɑn] Notes: found in the sand, ejects water from a tube.
rèim[rɛ̃:m] Notes: presumably the rim of the big wheel (spinning wheel).
roileag[rɔlɑɡ] Notes: when the wool was twisted after carding before going on to the wheel – a roileag was made.
rolanNotes: (spinning wheel) one band (the big band) went round the ‘rolan’ and the ‘rèim’.
rùmhan[rũ̜:ɑṉ] Notes: in Harris this is a bigger arrangement than a coilleag – as if several coilleags were made into the one heap.
iteachanNotes: the bobbin that goes inside the shuttle.
peàirdean (plural)[pjɑ:ʴd̪ɑṉ] Notes: “A cheud [sic] chuid de’n chlòimh a dheadhadh troimh na cairdean s’e peàirdean a chanadh iad riutha.” These were broader than the “roileagan”. [NOTES: the turned r used for the symbol which is unclear in the original.]
piùrna[pju̜:ɽɴʹə] Notes: the small band in the spinning wheel went round the piùrna.
saoidh[səi] Notes: made a yellow dye.
séacle[ʃɛ:klə] Notes: part of a spinning wheel – “bha [ʃɛ:klə] air uachdair a phiùrna agus bha fiaclan ann.”
sealasdairNotes: used for dyeing.
sealbhagNotes: when dyeing with “guirmean” it was put in with the urine and left with the wool in a tub for a few days. Then the “sealbhag” was gathered, boiled and the resulting liquid put into the tub. This made a fast dye. (Left for a day or two.)
sgreadag[sɡðed̪ɑɡ] Notes: “… an rud ghiar a bha ’s an uachdair nuair a bha thu ’ga chuir do’n chrannachan.” (not sure what this is)
siol-choiseadhNotes: presumably the part of the spinning wheel moved by the foot.
sioltachanNotes: sieve.
slacanNotes: used for washing cloth – a big wooden stick.
slaopadh[sɫw:pəɣ] Notes: process of pouring boiling water on shellfish and shaking until the shell and fish separated.
slat GhaidhealachNotes: weaver’s yard – 8 ft long.
slinne-chlar[ʃʎĩɲəxɫɑɾ] [?] Notes: part of a loom.
sòrnanNotes: ray; caught in the autumn inshore.
spàlNotes: shuttle.
spar-gaoitheadhNotes: the “ceangal” at the end of a black-house which protruded.
stocNotes: the part of the spinning wheel to which the three legs were joined.
suidheachadhNotes: putting milk aside until the cream was obtained. Barvas: cuir air suidheachadh.
sùil-cuibhrigeNotes: bird’s-eye pattern.
sunnag[sũ̜n̪ɑɡ] Notes: wooden chair made from a barrel.
tàbh[t̪ɑ:v] Notes: net bag suspended from circular frame with a long handle used for catching “cudaigean”.
taosnadh[t̪ɯ:sn̪ə̃ɣ] Notes: squeezing the “gruth” in order to dry it.
acuinn mheadhonNotes: part of the spinning wheel. It was tied by a thin piece of wood to the “siol-choiseadh”.
àireamhNotes: a bunch of 5 threads.
armadhNotes: oil put on wool (general term).
basaidh[bɑsi] Notes: basin.
beairt-dhealbhNotes: the loom used for making up the hank of warp before putting it into the loom.
blàthachNotes: buttermilk.
bragair[bɾɑɡəð] Notes: seaweed coming on to the sandy beaches on the West Coast of Harris. Used as manure.
breabadaichNotes: kicking action of the cow.
breallach[bðɛɫɑx] Notes: bigger and darker than “coilleagan” but not so coruscated.
buathalan[bu̟əʰəɫɑ̃n] Notes: used in dyeing wool.
cairtNotes: root of the water-lily; made a brown dye.
calanasNotes: working on wool.
caraicean[kɑrɑçkʹɑ̃n] Notes: seaweed which grows on rocky ground. [NOTES: slipped under ‘caragain’.]
carran-creigeadh[kɑrɑṉ kɾeɟəɣ] Notes: small ugly fish full of spikes. Usually rejected. [NOTES: slipped under ‘carran-creige’.]
casachanNotes: part(s) of a loom.
cioch dheargNotes: sea anemone. Sometimes called “cioch a’ chladaich”.
claimheag[kɫɑ̃ĩvɑɡ] Notes: small, very lively fish found inshore (said to be the young ling but not sure about this).
cnòdan[krõ̜:d̪ɑṉ] Notes: Mrs Montgomery says this is a “faochag mhór”. In Lewis it is a gurnard.
coidhteag[kɔ̣itʹɑɡ] Notes: says this is a cowrie shell.
coilleag[kəʎɑɡ] Notes: an arrangement of 4 peats standing on end and leaning against each other with a fifth lying on top. Verb: coilleagachadh. (In Lewis this is a “rùmhan”.)
colamadh[ˈkɔɫɔməɣ] Notes: seems to mean the arrangement of threads of different colours to make up a pattern. Used as verb and noun.
cragan feannaig[kɾɑ̃ɡɑ̃ṉ fjɑ̃ṉɑ̃ɡʹ] Notes: sea urchin found at very low tide.
crannachanNotes: churn.
creachanNotes: shellfish. Always in water; caught with a gaff.
crois-iarnaNotes: after coming off the wheel, the thread was put on the crois-iarna.
crotalNotes: used in wool-dyeing – brown.
cuigealNotes: used for spinning before the wheel was used – a long piece of wood.
cumanNotes: wooden milking pail.
currachd a’ righ[ku̜rəxk ə ri:] Notes: part of a sheep’s abdomen used in marag-making. [NOTES: slipped under ‘currac’.]
donnag[d̪on̪ɑɡ] Notes: small, brown fish found inshore.
dream a’ chraoisean[d̪ɾɛm ə xɾɯ:ʃɑ̣ṉ] Notes: a face – as in making a face.
drògaidNotes: cloth made with cotton warp.
dubh-chasachNotes: used in wool-dyeing.
duileasg[d̪u̟lɤsk] Notes: two kinds, one light-coloured, the other darker, the lighter one being more palatable. Can be eaten alone but used also to be boiled along with meat like cabbage. Called “càl duluisg”.
eisir[ẹʃi̜ð] Notes: pl. éisirean [ẹʃi̜ðəṉ]. Oyster?
eòlan[ɛɔ:ɫɑṉ] Notes: fish oil put on wool before it was teazed in order to lubricate it.
falaid[fɑɫɑdʹ] Notes: in baking – the dry flour or oatmeal spread out on the baking board, and worked into the “bonnach”.
feamainn bhuidheNotes: this kind [of seaweed] has globules with an oily substance inside.
feamainn chìreanNotes: seaweed nearest the land; used for feeding cows.
feamainn dhubhNotes: the “feamainn dubh [sic]” has globules on it with a water-like liquid inside. Before it is used as manure in Harris, it is left to dry as it is otherwise unsuitable.
feamainn shiabaidhNotes: the loose seaweed thrown on to the shore by full tides and when the wind was blowing on to the shore.
fearsaidNotes: piece of wood used for spinning together two threads for knitting.
friasg[fθiɑsɡ] Notes: bait used in rock-fishing – shellfish boiled and then chewed before being thrown out on the water to attract fish.
fuadragNotes: used to catch lythe, made of rubber.
fuidheagNotes: the yarn left in the loom after the tweed was cut.
fullagan[fu̜ɫɑɡəṉ] Notes: part of a loom.
garman-iuchdNotes: part of a loom.
geata-siùragNotes: part of the beairt-dhealbh.
giurnalair[ɟu̜:ʴṉlɑð] [?] Notes: a big chest for holding two bolls of meal, usually one of flour and one of oatmeal. [NOTES: the turned r used for the symbol which is unclear in the original.]
gruaigean[ɡɾu̜əɟɑ̃ṉ] Notes: seaweed which grows far out on the rocks. Long strips with frilly sides. The middle portion could be eaten.

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