Irish Class, March 12, 2018
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| Ná bíodh do theanga faoi do chrios. | Spit it out!/Speak your mind! | “Don’t let your tongue be under your belt” |
| Ní dheachaigh sé ar scáth ann toir leis. | He spoke bluntly/He didn’t pussyfoot about. | “He didn’t go in the shadow of the bush with it.” |
| Níorbh iontaí liom an sneachta dearg ná é. | “Red snow would not surprise me more than that.” | |
| lá faoin tor | an unexpected free day | “a day under a bush” |
Irish Class, February 26, 2018
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| breitheamh | judge | |
| mall | slow | |
| sliabh | mountain | |
| lig | let, allow, permit | |
| lena | with his | |
| Is breitheamh mall Dia Nach ndearna riamh ach an chóir; Chuir sé Cormac amach sa tsliabh, Agus lig sé an diabhal lena thóin. |
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“God may be slow to judge, but he catches up with evil-doers eventually. This little ditty would be said of someone who is always getting away with bad stuff, and who finally has their “come-uppance”, as they say. Cormac is just a kind of placeholder in this saying, no particular significance.” — Will
Irish Class, February 12, 2018
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| Mol a dheireadh. | “Praise its end” | [let’s see how it turns out before we get all excited.] |
| Is mall gach cos a chasán/chosán gan eolas | “Every leg is slow on a path without knowledge” | [Slow sailing in uncharted waters] |
Irish Class, February 5, 2018
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| aimhleas | harm, evil | aimhleasa, aimhlis |
| I ndiaidh a aimhlis a fheictear a leas don Éireannach. | The Irishman doesn’t see what he should have done (his benefit) until after he has already done the wrong thing (his harm). | |
| ciall | sense, meaning, reason | |
| Is fearr an chiall cheannaithe ná a fáil in aisce. | “Purchased sense is better than that gotten for free.” | (Experience is the best teacher) |
| Is an chiall cheannaithe is fearr. | “Purchased sense is best.” | (Experience is the best teacher) |
Irish Class, January 29, 2018
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| Fál um an ngort i ndiaidh na foghla. | Closing the barn doors after the horse is gone. | “A fence ’round the field after the damage is done. “ |
| Shílfeá ón iompar a bhí air go mba leis an áit. | “You would think from the way that he carried himself that he owned the place.” | |
| Neosfaidh an aimsir. | Time will tell | neos = inis |
Irish Class, January 8, 2018
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| Dearmad bhean an tí ag an gcat. | The housewife’s mistake/forgetfulness/neglect goes to the cat. | [The cat gets that milk you forget to put away, etc.] |
| Téann focal le gaoth, agus téann buille le cnámh | Sticks and stones…. | “A word goes with the wind, but a blow/strike goes to the bone.” |
Irish Class, December 4, 2017
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| ní | thing | |
| An iomarca d’aon ní, is ionnan agus gan aon ní. | Too much of a good thing | “An excess of a thing is the same as being wiout the thing” |
| Lig do fuarú sa gcraiceann ar théigh sé ann. | when someone is angry, let him/her cool down before you offer a reply or response. | “Let him cool in the skin he heated up in.” |
Irish Class, November 27, 2017
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| Ba mhaith an teachtaire le cur I gcoinne an bháis thú. | You would be a good person to send for Death! | Said of someone who dawdles, a slow-poke, just the kind of person you’d send on an errand you don’t want to see completed. |
| Ní bhíonn imirce gan chaill. | No moving without loss. | |
Irish Class, November 20, 2017
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We continue to mine the proverbs collected by Robert Shipboy MacAdam, and first published in a series that ran from 1858 to 1862. For a little extra fun, I provided his original spelling:
| Old Spelling | Modern Spelling | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| séideadh | blowing | ||
| smug | smuga | mucus, snot | m |
| Is maith an sèideadh sròine do dhuine smug fhaiceal air duine eile. | Is maith an séideadh sróine do dhuine smuga fheiceáil ar duine eile. | It is a good nose blowing for a person to see snot on another person. | |
| Ma cheannaigheann tu droch-nidh, ceannochaidh tu a rìst go h-aithghearr. | Má cheannaíonn tú drochní, ceannóidh tú arís go hathghearr. | If you buy low quality, you will soon buy again. | “If you buy a bad thing, you will soon buy again.” |
Irish Class, November 13, 2017
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| gad | withe | A twisted bit of willow used when hemp rope was not available–used for horse harness,and to hang people! |
| Gearr an gad is foisce don scornach. | do the most urgent thing first. | cut the gad nearest the throat, to save a person or perhaps a horse whose harness has gotten hung up. |
| An té nach gcleachtann maríocht dearmadann na spoir. | Practice! | Who does not habitually practice riding forgets the spurs. |
From Hilbert Space to Dilbert Space, and beyond 