| manarach (-aich) | ruins. |
| triubhas | exchange. [NOTES: note added – = iomlaid.] |
| eimislisgeach | in the sense of careless, carefree children. [NOTES: corrected to ‘eimlisgeach’.] |
| [sagart] | Question: Sannd na seachd sagart? Answer: Fear gun mhac gun nighean. Just as greedy as a man with a large family. |
| snathad an duine mhairbh | skeleton. |
| ag aontrachadh | a horse frolicking with all four legs in the air. |
| [cluas] | “A’ chluas dheas gam dheas mholadh, ’sa chluas chear [sic] gam shior mholadh [sic].” According to which ear is burning you are either being praised or criticised. [NOTES: the second ‘mholadh’ corrected to ‘?chàineadh’.] |
| a bhreac òtraich | smallpox. |
| a bhreac | chickenpox. |
| sgeith chloich | the skimming action of flat pebbles flung across a stretch of water. |
| conochrachan | pile of peats larger than ‘rubhain’. Would be done when peats were very dry. [NOTES: corrected to ‘con(o)chrachan’.] |
| cùmhraidh | in the sense of something new or fresh – ‘sgadan cùmhraidh’. ‘Sgadan ùr’ more common and more accurate I would think. |
| taoisneachadh | kneading dough. |
| beannag | headsquare. |
| meanbh | neat, i.e. after drinking a small whisky: “Bha sud dìreach meanbh.” |
| mi-ràbhail | untidy. |
| cràbhàta | cravat, scarf. |
| ustar | a coat. |
| ceapadh | in the sense of being tripped up both physically and in the sense of being tripped up in your conversation. |
| sgàite | applied to someone with a good appetite. “A bheil an duine sin sgàite.” Also applied to animals. [NOTES: corrected to ‘sgaite’.] |
| plàta | a plaid. |
| corr thulachain | in the construction of a thatched house this wooden plank or pole extended from the joint at the top of gables, down to the wall. |
| coth roisainn | name given to the wooden planks that formed the gables. [NOTES: noted added above ‘coth roisainn’ – co-roisein.] |
| spar feannaig | same as ‘maide feannaig’. [NOTES: ‘spar’ corrected to ‘spàr’.] |
| duine rocalach | a tall but stocky, chubby man. [NOTES: ‘rocalach’ corrected to ‘rogalach’.] |
| meud mhór is prois | applied to a person who thought a lot of himself. |
| sgeillaid | a small pot or pan. |
| a’ cuir a mach arain | rolling out dough. |
| oide | godparent. Significantly this would be used by the children in the family whereas their parents would refer to their godparents as ‘mo ghoistidh’. |
| cù a’ roulladh chaorach | a dog gathering sheep but without its master. Therefore means to worry sheep. [NOTES: note added above ‘roulladh’ – robhladh.] |
| seicle | flyer on a spinning wheel. |
| pràis | a large broach similar to those worn by pipers. |
| anachothrom | would be applied to a family who are not well-off. |
| drògaid | home-spun cloth used to make dresses. |
| còta meadhoin | in a layered or a pleated dress this was applied to the layer which extended from the lower thigh to the heels. |
| còta bàn | underskirt. |
| cunnag | a home-made chair whereby a barrel was cut into the form of a chair. |
| riamhag | in hereditary sense and more precisely regarding a frailty which was hereditary. |
| a’ smòcadh an taighe | this procedure would be carried out by a sanitary officer in the event of a plague or disease being in the district. A soap-like substance was burnt filling the house with smoke. This was to prevent strangers from catching the epidemic. Bar of disinfectant (carbolic) soap left for everyone in the household. [NOTES: ‘smòcadh’ corrected to ‘smocadh’.] |
| eolas an déididh | mentioned in previous notes. Should be added that it was a prayer that was written and not a bit of prose as I previously indicated. |
| tobar an déididh | one of these exists in Stoneybridge whereby if you rub this on the troublesome tooth, relief will be obtained. |
| uisg iaruinn | brown, rust-like substance found in ditches and streams. Used to get rid of warts. Bit of string would be tightened round the wart and this substance smeared over it. Iron content must have come from the rocks in the streams. |
| snàthla | previously described. Can add that the person needing this ‘snàthla’ was not to speak to anyone on the way to and from his destination. Naturally there would be much fun as people tried to break the code of silence. |
| uisg airgid | water taken from a burn and a silver coin placed in the water. Water stirred supposedly absorbing the hidden potency of the coin. Water would then be thrown over an animal which was suffering from a disease or which had been cast under a spell. |
| starrabanaich | noisy commotion. |
| [cuir] | Bidh i a’ cuir ann neo a’ cuir as a màireach. – expression which meant that you could expect wind or rain the next day. Not sure as regards the weather conditions of the previous night from which this judgement was made. |
| casan cainnbe | if the rays pointed down from the sun this indicated rain. If on the other hand they pointed upwards, strong winds would follow. |
| corran ag eigheach | two of these points can be seen from the Middle District of Uist: one to the south and one to the north. If the north point is roaring then good weather can be expected, whereas the roar of the southern point indicates bad weather. |
| cathain a’ dol gu deas | bad weather follows the sighting of the barnacle goose flying southwards. |
| cnagadan | the log underneath the plank which formed an essential part of a see-saw. “Déile bhogadain tonn a’ chnagadain.” |
| sgiursair | applied to someone who was forever visiting people. |
| [cantail] | “Dh’fhaodadh tu gu leor a chantail gun do chluasan a’ shalach.” – knowing when to stop without getting a bad reputation for yourself. |
| àraiseachadh | using an incident in someone’s past whilst arguing about something totally different. |
| bannachadh | binding or securing. |
| [aon] | “Nuair a thig e gu a h-aon ’sa dhà cuirear air doigh sin.” – when it comes to the crunch… |
| molt beag an fhoghair | a wether which would be slaughtered when the people were busy harvesting. |
