| toinnte | intelligent. “Gheibh e an obair ma tha e toinnte gu leor.” |
| [smodalach] | Duine smodalach – a two-faced, gossipy person. |
| an ceum toisich | being ahead of your neighbours in doing work around the croft. “Na biodh an ceum toisich agad idir.” |
| tàir | to condemn, scandalise. “Rinn thu tàir air.” |
| [uisge] | “Bhithinn suas an t-uisge.” – an expression which means that things were going your way, that you were made. |
| sgalag | a farmhand who would have a dwelling on the farm/croft. |
| sgatht | a piece of land, no specific measurement. |
| talamh riasg | tough land which is difficult to plough. [Cf. glas mhachaire.] |
| glas mhachaire | similar [i.e. to talamh riasg (q.v.)] machair land. |
| bainne gamhnaich | a drink given to young men which supposedly enhanced their strength. Consisted of the milk of black Highland cattle without calf, mixed with oatmeal. Moreover the oatmeal had to be taken from the north end of a field. |
| susbainn | substance. |
| briod (-adh) | to breed. |
| cuairt (-ean) | length. |
| stàile | a stall in a byre. |
| mart làmhaig | a cow which was to be slaughtered. |
| séisne | muscle or flesh on the inside of a thigh. When buying cattle, the purchaser would feel this part to determine the quality of the beast. |
| gath muigh | horse’s mane. |
| geir laith | rotted fat. Stored and given to relieve constipation in cattle. |
| ceangal beag | a length of wood running upwards from the wall to the apex of the gables. |
| coth roisainn | the tying of a heather rope round the two gables at the top of the house. |
| cas muice | to make a fool of. “Rinn iad cas mhuice orra.” |
| [uisge] | “’S ann ort a chaidh uisge nan uighean.” Would be said of an individualistic, stubborn person who did not follow set behaviour patterns. |
| [bàta] | “Tha bàta muigh ’s a’ mhuir ri feuchainn.” An expression advising people to make their own way in the world. |
| alt ghalair | rheumatism, arthritis. |
| [aois] | Mìr a’ chuilair ris an aois – refers to an age gap which might exist between a couple who were courting. |
| [strathair] | An strathair an àite na diollaid – when a young wife had moved into a croft replacing her spouse’s mother this would be said to indicate the inexperience and inadequacies of the young wife. |
| geasalanachd | superstitions. “Ge be ghèilleas do gheasalanachd gèillidh geasalanachd dha.” In other words, if you believe in superstitions you will be forced to rely on that belief sometime. |
| spreadhan | frying pan. |
| sprochd | in a depressed frame of mind, usually in the form of a lovestruck person. |
| dreidheadh | in the context of a place where you could stay. “An d’fhuair thu àite far an dreidheadh tu?” |
| togail druim | this refers to the first two furrows which are ploughed in a piece of land. |
| sgoltadh | the groove which is left when you start ploughing, i.e. as the furrow falls over to one side, a groove is left empty. |
| [car] | Car eile an aghaidh an daimh – a surprise or unexpected twist in a situation. |
| conothadh | excitement in horses. |
| dionnag | a sheep which is a year older than a ewe. |
| [torcadh] | Torcadh do chasan – digging in your heels. |
| sgiannach | a nervous animal. |
| each teichidh | a horse which is liable to flee. |
| coistain (-ean) | question. |
| earr | the tail of a beast. |
| mo shiad | applied to a quick-thinking, smart person. Informant refers to one of the first whales found on the shores of North Uist and one person in particular who realised the value of the whale’s teeth. “’S thug mo shiad leis na fiaclan.” |
| peighinn | an amount of land equivalent of four crofts. |
