| Word-list dated 01/05/1976: Airson an fhaclair |
| murabhlach (m.) | muirbhuachaill, great northern diver. (Tarbert) |
| fuireachan (sg.) | àite còmhnaidh, taigh, togail, bothan. Am fuireachan àite sin shìos. |
| dudrachain (pl.) | aodach sracte, luidean. Sc. dudds, duddies. |
| sràbhail (f.) | beagan sgadain sgapte. A strawing. Sràbhail bheag sgadain ris a’ chladach. |
| àrd | àrd amach, fada amach anns a’ mhuir. |
| ròramach | extravagant. (Ìle) Tha e ròramach (ròromach) le cuid dhaoine eile. < ro + rùm? |
| dalmarra | peasanta, peasanach. (Tarbert) |
| dàicheil | big and imposing. Tha i dàicheil gu leòir air son a’ ghunna: she’s big and imposing enough to shoulder a rifle. |
| gleus | trim. Dé’n gleus a th’ort = Dé’n trim a th’ort? |
| bachall (m.) | a slipper. > Sc. bauchle? Sean bhachall bàta. |
| gràbhat | a fisherman’s neck scarf. Gràbhat beag lìn. |
| reòtach | herring scales on the sides and deck of a boat (giving an impression of reodhadh). Fhuair iad sgadan – tha reòtach oirre. |
| clacharan tràigh | stonechats assembling on the rocks on the shore in the autumn are called this. |
| greimeal | a grapnel. |
| barra-rotha | barra-cuibhle. (Tarbert) |
| flan gaoithe | adhar beag gaoithe – a waft. |
| Letter and word-list dated 06/05/1976: Air son an fhaclair |
| [note] | “Tha mi’n dòchas gu’m bi am beagan beag fhacal a tha mi ’cur gu’d ionnsaigh a chum feuma. Tha corra fhacal agam o Chinntàile. ’S e Tàileach d’am b’ainm Crìsdein MacRath a bu phrìomh charaid dhomh nuair a bha mi ’san oilthigh.” |
| [note] | (Mur eil ainm ceàrnaidh no dùthcha ’ga thoirt seachad is ann o’n Tairbeart Loch Fìne a thà na facail seo.) |
| bodach ruadh | a roch [sic] cod. |
| crùbag | a large crab. |
| breallach (m.) | a clam. |
| gas | dad, càil. Cha d’fhuair mi gas. |
| sgadan-gréine | herring split and laid out to dry on a rock in the sun. Roc An Sgadain-Ghréin’: an underwater rock. The markings on it resemble split herring. |
| cuir | shoot (a met [sic] [net?]). An do chuir sibh, ’fheara? Iomair mu thuath agus cuir mu dheas (proverb): Row north and shoot south. |
| cur | Tha cur an tsneachda [sic] trom. (Islay) |
| car-a’-mhuiltein | punning slang for a tumbler to drink out of. |
| claba-dubh | a kind of shellfish. |
| clabadh-dubh | [See claba-dubh.] |
| gibeirneach | a squid. (‘Ink fish’ in the dialect of the East Coast.) If I remember, this word occurs in MacPhaidein. |
| amhsan | a gannet, solan goose, solan. |
| càrsan | [kɛ:rsɑN] the hoarse sound of rising sea and wind. Tha càrsan beag ann anochd. |
| cruit (f.) | a hump back. |
| cruiteach | humpbacked. |
| budagoc | a snipe. |
| mògan (pl. mòganan) | slang for hand – ‘mitt’. Bheil do mhòganan fuar? Are your mitts cold? |
| sgoldrach (m.) | a Medusa, kind of jellyfish. < O.N. skjöldur, skjöld; a shield? |
| spàg | slang for a foot. Tha mi ’dol a shìneadh mo spàgan: I’m going for a walk. |
| croich or croichean (pl.) | poles on the shore for drying nets. Cuiridh sinn an lìon air a’ chroich. (They have all disappeared.) ‘Crochans’ in English. |
| creagdhubh | [sic] an angler fish. |
| ceannair | a net rope (ring net). |
| clàrach | the planking at the stern. |
| ràtach (< ràdhtach?) | bigmouthed, boastful, a blow. Ràiteach occurs in Dwelly, I think. |
| coltas | ‘appearance’ in English. Signs of herring. Cha n-eil coltas ann idir. This word occurs in MacPhaidein (A’ ruith nan coltas feadh nan cuantan). |
| losgadh | phosphorescence. (Burning, the burning in Tarbert English.) This reveals the presence of herring at night, hence ‘Gheobh sinn iad ’san losgadh.’ |
| toman | an extension of the meaning ‘clump’. A small clump of herring. Tha toman dhiubh fodhainn. |
| leus | of a blind or shortsighted man – Cha n-fhaic e leus. |
| deò | of a deaf man – Cha chluinn e deò. |
| moineach (f.) | a hare. |
| Bhaltar | Walter. Uaimh Bhaltair, Rudha Bhaltair, Pàra Bhaltair. |
| cairidh (f.) | a fish weir. There are the remains of one in a level bay north of Tarbert. |
| glàm | a gorge of food. Ghabhainn glàm dhiubh sin. |
| glaisean | a white-throated diver. |
| fèathail | calm. Ma bhìos e fèathail mochthrath. |
| pongail | punctilious, exact, careful of one’s appearance. |
| giullan | gille. |
| cnùdan | a gurnet. A man’s nickname. |
| mochthrath (m.) | Mochrath [sic] maith dhuit = madainn mhaith dhuit. Thà mi dol a chur mo cheann far am faigh mi e mochthrath. |
| raspars | (with the accent on the second syllable) (ro + ? ?) overbearing behaviour. (Kintail) |
| stàirn | violent, overbearing behaviour. (Kintail) |
| glàmag | a tivking [sic] [ticking?] off. (Kintail) |
| sùileachan | an eye-opener. (Kintail – in Dwelly) |
| lios | a garden. (Kintail) Nuair a bha mi ag obair anns an lios ud thall. |
| sùil-chruthach | (< -chriothach?) a quagmire. Sùil-chrith in Islay, I was told a long time ago. |
| bù, bùi | a buoy. Equally a sea-mark or a buoy on a net. |
| Letter dated 04/10/1983 (slips) |
| smùrach | Notes: ‘smirr, drizzle, small rain’. Tarbert Argyll and Islay usage. ‘Baile na Smùrach’ used as fisherman’s slang for Ardrossan (‘dross’). |
| uair | Quotation: uair mhath. Notes: ‘good weather’. Tarbert and Islay usage. |
