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. |
Irish Class, November 6, 2017
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| choíche | forever | |
| nach … ach | only | |
| cochán | straw | |
| cáil | reputation | |
| bídeach | tiny | |
| socar | calm, peace; benefit, profit, advantage | |
| moch | early | |
| mall | late, slow | |
| ionat | in you | |
| fusa | easy | |
| sín | stretch | v |
| síneadh | stretching | vn of sín |
| Is tú nach mbíonn choíche ach i gcochán ach cáil bheag bhídeach de do shocar Moch nó mall a thagaim gurb ionat is fusa dom mo chosa a shíneadh |
you’re a dump, straw strewn about, but you’re my cozy dump. |
“There’s no place like home” |
Irish Class, October 30, 2017
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| Ná tóg mé go dtite mé | Don’t pick me up until I fall. | tite subj. vs. titfidh fut. |
| Níl ansin ach “Seachain an ceann agus buain an muineál.” | That’s nothing but “miss the head and get the neck.” | “Out of the frying pan into the fire.” |
| Sin tóin na muice méithe a ghréisceadh/ | That is greasing the butt of a fat pig. | “Coals to Newcastle” |
Irish Class, October 23, 2017
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| is fearr fuíoll an mhadaidh ná fuíoll an mhagaidh. | Better the victim of a dog (bite) than the victim of mockery. | |
| is fearr fuíoll fonóide ná fuíoll formáid. | Better to be the butt of ridicule than the object of envy | |
| buaileann an tintreach faoi dhó< | lightning strikes twice | |
| Saothar machnamhach | thoughtful/reflective work | |
| cumasach | talented | |
| dhá mhíle daichead a naoi | 1049 | |
| a léiríonn ómós don chéad ghála | that shows tribute to the first installment | gála “installment” |
| iomaire | ridge | |
| treabhadh | plowing | |
| dhéanann a iomaire féin a threabhadh leis | plowing its own ridge | |
Irish Class, October 16, 2017
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| Trácht ar an diabhal agus taispeánfaidh sé é féin. | Mention the devil and he shows himself. | |
| comhairle | advice | f |
| meas | opinion, judgement, respect | |
| cóir | just | |
| Comhairle charad gan a hiarraidh ní bhfuair sí ariamh an meas ba chóir di. | Friendly advice without asking never gets the respect it deserves | fem. sí, dí referback to comhairle |
Irish Class, October 9, 2017
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| breitheamh | judge | m |
| dall | blind; blind person | |
| Is olc an breitheamh ar dhatanna dall. | “The blind person is a poor judge of colors” | |
| gráinne | grain | |
| pónaire | bean | |
| Tá a fhios aige cá mhéad gráinne pónaire a dhéanann cúig/ | He knows that 2 + 2 = 4. | “He knows how many beans make five.” |
Irish Class, October 2, 2017
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| Níor tháinig fear na headrána saor ariamh. | Mediation is never free | “A man never came to mediation freely.” Might expect Thomhaisfeá |
| fear an eadarscáin | [older form | |
| eadráin | mediation, conciliation | f |
| Thomhasfá uibheacha san áit a bhfeicfeá blaoscanna. | Where there’s smoke there’s fire | Lit. “You would guess [there are] eggs in the place where you would see shells.” |
| tomhais | measure, weigh, estimate, guess | Might expect cond. Thomhaisfeá |
Cad is ainm an octapus gan airgead?
Bochtapus!
| Dá mba scuab ghruaige mé | If I had a hair brush | |
| cá ngabhfainn i bhfolach? | where would it hide? | |
| Tá barúil ag ár gcolúnaí go bhfuil poll draíochta sa teach a dtiteann rudaí síos ann | Our columnist has the opinion that there is a magic hole where things fall down | |
Irish Class, September 25, 2017
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| Tabhair do ghrá dod mhnaoi, is do rún dod mháthair. | Give your love to your wife and your secret to your mother. | mhnaoi: dative of bean dod← do [preposition} + do [possessive] |
| Is troime a bhagairt ná a bhuille. | His bark is worse than his bite. | “Is heavier his threat than his blow,” |
From Hilbert Space to Dilbert Space, and beyond 