là-fèille | Quotation: Gheibh e a làithean-fèille. Notes: He’ll get a row, telling off. |
làipseach | Quotation: Thoir dha làipseach mhath. Notes: a big plateful. |
leth(o)ir? | Quotation: Dh’èigh e mach orra as an lethoir. Notes: ?one by one? |
leugan | Quotation: Dh’fhuirich e leugan. Tha leugan bho chunnaic mi e. Notes: ‘ages’. |
lorg | Quotation: Cha lorgainn idir e. Bha i ga lorg fhèin. Notes: ‘blame’. |
meadhon-là | Quotation: Tha e sa mheadhon-là aige. Notes: used of a child supposed to be sleeping – as wide awake as though it were mid-day. |
mosgainn | Quotation: Peant brèagh air maide mosgainn. |
teilcheart | Quotation: Bha e air a theilcheart. Notes: ‘utterly exhausted’. |
òrdanachadh | Quotation: Bha mi ’g òrdanachadh gun tigeadh tu. Notes: hoping you would come. |
suim | Quotation: Chaill mi mo shuim. Notes: I lost all sense of time. |
siubhal | Quotation: Ghabh e na shiubhail e. Notes: He took the hint. |
siutal | Quotation: Siutal de bhoireannach. Notes: ‘a galivant.’ |
smùid | Quotation: Cuiridh sinn smùid a’ mhoncaidh asda. |
snaidheadh | Quotation: Nach i tha snaidheadh ris an uair. Notes: cutting it fine. |
spitheag | Quotation: A’ caitheamh spitheagan air na cearcan. Notes: raking up muck about someone. |
staigh | Quotation: Thig e staigh air. Notes: He’ll suffer for it yet. |
stall | Notes: site (for a house). |
strac | Quotation: Chan fhuiling e strac fuar no teth. Notes: Can’t endure criticism. |
uilinn | Quotation: Cha chuir e air uilinn e. Notes: It won’t take much effort. |
ùireadh | Quotation: Bhogadh an t-ùireadh ann. Notes: ‘He was easily persuaded.’ |
uisge | Quotation: Tha e suas an t-uisge. Notes: He’s heading for success. |
aisling | Quotation: Nach i chunnaic an aisling! Notes: How her circumstances have deteriorated! |
batachadh | Quotation: Bha i batachadh air. Notes: ‘She was pestering him.’ |
buird-an-rathaid | Quotation: Bha an càr am buird-an-rathaid. Notes: ‘On the verge of the road.’ |
bun-cluaise | Quotation: ’S iomadh fear a b’àirde bun-cluaise. Notes: Many a man came from a better background. |
bun-obair | Quotation: Tha bun-obair agam a bhith dèanamh sin. Notes: ‘It’s pointless for me to be doing that.’ |
cath-ghoil | Quotation: Tha an coire a’ cath-ghoil. Notes: boiling over. |
corra-chnàmh | Quotation: Bha i air a corra-chnàmh. Notes: ‘Squatting.’ |
corra-mheur | Quotation: Na cuir do chorra-mheur air. |
cuallach (-aich) | Quotation: Carson a tha sin a chuallaich mu d’amhaich? Notes: Why are you so muffled up? |
cuid | Quotation: Cha robh a chuid san fheur. Notes: He wasn’t meant to live. |
cuir | Quotation: Cha chuirinn ite ás. Notes: I couldn’t catch up with him. |
cuir | Quotation: Chuir e air gu robh urad ann. Notes: It surprised him… |
culaidh-sheachnaidh | Quotation: ’Se culaidh-sheachnaidh a th’ann. Notes: He’s a person to be avoided. |
earball-sàile | Quotation: Bidh ’n còmhnaidh earball-sàile air a’ chuid obrach. Notes: His work is always unfinished. |
eòrna na gainmh’chadh | Quotation: Tha sin coltach ri eòrna na gainmh’chadh. Notes: You’ll have to wait a long time for that. |
gobag | Notes: a cheeky upstart. |
gocan | Quotation: Chan eil ann ach gocan an naire. Notes: a cheeky so-and-so. |
goic | Quotation: Chaidh a ghoiceadh a-mach. Notes: unceremoniously thrown out. |
goigean | Quotation: Chan eil ann ach goigean beag. Notes: a wee nyaff. |
B. Robertson’s Collection (of Idioms). |
maide | Quotation: Cha chuireadh maide nam pàirt. Notes: ‘He couldn’t hold a candle to them.’ |
màl | Quotation: Tha mi nam mhàl. Notes: (Lewis) ‘I’m really busy.’ |
rud | Quotation: Chuir e rud orm. Notes: It offended me. (?provenance) |
obair | Quotation: Fhuair thu obair! Notes: (Skye) ‘Some daft idea that!’ |
pìob | Quotation: Bha ’m pàisd a’ cur suas na pìoba. Notes: ‘setting up a wail’. (?provenance). |
siaradh | Quotation: Thug sinn siaradh na dhèidh. Notes: We chased after it. (?provenance) |
bainne | Quotation: (Lewis?) Chan iarradh e ’m bainne leis. |
bonnach | Quotation: Thainig am bonnach àbhaisteach a-rithist. Notes: ? |
briob-losgadh | Quotation: Bha mi air mo bhriob-losgadh (? priob-losgadh). Notes: ‘I was on tenterhooks.’ |
bròn | Quotation: Chan eil bròn air a’ mhuir. Notes: (Lewis?) The sea in calm? |
cas | Quotation: Thàinig na briathran sin air an cois. Notes: (Lewis?) These words came true. (?) |
cas | Quotation: Bha iad air dhroch chasan. Notes: ? |
ceann | Quotation: Cha robh e ach a’ cur seachad do cheann. Notes: (Lewis?) It occupied you for a time. |
duda-leum | Quotation: Thug e aon duda-leum (?dubh de-) as. Notes: (Lewis?) He gave one almighty jump. |
faobhar | Quotation: ’Sann le faobhar nan alt a dh’fhalbh e. Notes: He left very reluctantly. |