langadal | Notes: seaweed found far out in very rocky ground, in long strips. Seems to be a general term. |
làthach | Notes: silt on the seashore. |
lionradh | [ʎĩə̃rɑɣ] Notes: part of the beairt-dhealbh. |
lonaid | [ɫɔ̃n̪idʹ] Notes: the stick moved up and down in churn. |
madadh | Notes: 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. |
maighistir | Notes: 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. |
mùrach | Quotation: 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. |
rolan | Notes: (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. |
iteachan | Notes: 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.” |
sealasdair | Notes: used for dyeing. |
sealbhag | Notes: 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-choiseadh | Notes: presumably the part of the spinning wheel moved by the foot. |
sioltachan | Notes: sieve. |
slacan | Notes: 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 Ghaidhealach | Notes: weaver’s yard – 8 ft long. |
slinne-chlar | [ʃʎĩɲəxɫɑɾ] [?] Notes: part of a loom. |
sòrnan | Notes: ray; caught in the autumn inshore. |
spàl | Notes: shuttle. |
spar-gaoitheadh | Notes: the “ceangal” at the end of a black-house which protruded. |
stoc | Notes: the part of the spinning wheel to which the three legs were joined. |
suidheachadh | Notes: putting milk aside until the cream was obtained. Barvas: cuir air suidheachadh. |
sùil-cuibhrige | Notes: 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 mheadhon | Notes: part of the spinning wheel. It was tied by a thin piece of wood to the “siol-choiseadh”. |
àireamh | Notes: a bunch of 5 threads. |
armadh | Notes: oil put on wool (general term). |
basaidh | [bɑsi] Notes: basin. |
beairt-dhealbh | Notes: the loom used for making up the hank of warp before putting it into the loom. |
blàthach | Notes: buttermilk. |
bragair | [bɾɑɡəð] Notes: seaweed coming on to the sandy beaches on the West Coast of Harris. Used as manure. |
breabadaich | Notes: kicking action of the cow. |
breallach | [bðɛɫɑx] Notes: bigger and darker than “coilleagan” but not so coruscated. |
buathalan | [bu̟əʰəɫɑ̃n] Notes: used in dyeing wool. |
cairt | Notes: root of the water-lily; made a brown dye. |
calanas | Notes: 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’.] |
casachan | Notes: part(s) of a loom. |
cioch dhearg | Notes: 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. |
crannachan | Notes: churn. |
creachan | Notes: shellfish. Always in water; caught with a gaff. |
crois-iarna | Notes: after coming off the wheel, the thread was put on the crois-iarna. |
crotal | Notes: used in wool-dyeing – brown. |
cuigeal | Notes: used for spinning before the wheel was used – a long piece of wood. |
cuman | Notes: 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. |
drògaid | Notes: cloth made with cotton warp. |
dubh-chasach | Notes: 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 bhuidhe | Notes: this kind [of seaweed] has globules with an oily substance inside. |
feamainn chìrean | Notes: seaweed nearest the land; used for feeding cows. |
feamainn dhubh | Notes: 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 shiabaidh | Notes: the loose seaweed thrown on to the shore by full tides and when the wind was blowing on to the shore. |
fearsaid | Notes: 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. |
fuadrag | Notes: used to catch lythe, made of rubber. |
fuidheag | Notes: the yarn left in the loom after the tweed was cut. |
fullagan | [fu̜ɫɑɡəṉ] Notes: part of a loom. |
garman-iuchd | Notes: part of a loom. |
geata-siùrag | Notes: 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. |