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Friday word: Ladramhaiola
Apr. 18th, 2025 11:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
med_catLadramhaiola (Irish Gaelic): a day that was frittered away, despite one's planning to get a lot done
med_cat
Wednesday Word: Caubeen
Jul. 6th, 2022 10:17 pmcalzephyrCaubeen - noun.
As a hat person, I'm happy to share my love of hats and today I'm here to tell you all about a traditional Irish hat, the caubeen. More of a beret, the caubeen, the name apparently means "old hat" (according to Wikipedia) and also comes from cáibín, which means "little cape".
As a hat person, I'm happy to share my love of hats and today I'm here to tell you all about a traditional Irish hat, the caubeen. More of a beret, the caubeen, the name apparently means "old hat" (according to Wikipedia) and also comes from cáibín, which means "little cape".
By Caubeen at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain, Link
Tuesday word: Leprechaun
Mar. 17th, 2020 10:05 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
simplyn2deep.livejournal.comTuesday, Mar. 17, 2020
I know this word isn't exactly a new word that will be added to our vocabulary, but in honor of it being St. Patrick's Day, I thought it was fitting.
Leprechaun (noun)
lep·re·chaun [lep-ruh-kawn, -kon]
noun Irish Folklore
1. a dwarf or sprite.
2. a conventionalized literary representation of this figure as a little old man who will reveal the location of a hidden crock of gold to anyone who catches him.
WORDS RELATED TO LEPRECHAUN
pixie, fairy, gnome, brownie, fay, sprite, elfin
SEE SYNONYMS FOR leprechaun ON THESAURUS.COM
Origin: 1595–1605; < Irish leipreachán, lucharachán, MIr luchrapán, lupra ( c ) cán, metathesized forms of Old Irish lúchorp ( án ), equivalent to lú- small + corp body (< Latin corpus ) + -án diminutive suffix
( Read more... )
I know this word isn't exactly a new word that will be added to our vocabulary, but in honor of it being St. Patrick's Day, I thought it was fitting.
Leprechaun (noun)
lep·re·chaun [lep-ruh-kawn, -kon]
noun Irish Folklore
1. a dwarf or sprite.
2. a conventionalized literary representation of this figure as a little old man who will reveal the location of a hidden crock of gold to anyone who catches him.
WORDS RELATED TO LEPRECHAUN
pixie, fairy, gnome, brownie, fay, sprite, elfin
SEE SYNONYMS FOR leprechaun ON THESAURUS.COM
Origin: 1595–1605; < Irish leipreachán, lucharachán, MIr luchrapán, lupra ( c ) cán, metathesized forms of Old Irish lúchorp ( án ), equivalent to lú- small + corp body (< Latin corpus ) + -án diminutive suffix
( Read more... )
Sunday Word: Sonsy
Jun. 23rd, 2019 11:33 pmsallymn.livejournal.comsonsy [son-see]
adjective:
1 (Scottish literary) having an attractive and healthy appearance; strong and healthy; comely.
2 agreeable; good-natured
3 lucky
Examples:
Judging from her round, sonsy, rosy face, you never could have imagined her to have been mad. (Susanna Moodie, Life in the Clearings versus The Bush)
She listened to the talk of the men with a faint smile about her weary lips, her eyes upon the sonsy range. (George Douglas Brown, The House With The Green Shutters)
Origin:
Mid 16th century (also in the sense 'lucky'): from Irish and Scottish Gaelic sonas 'good fortune' (from sona 'fortunate') (Oxford English Dictionary)
Thursday word: sleiveen
Jan. 28th, 2016 07:59 amprettygoodword.livejournal.comsleiveen or sleeveen (SLEE-veen) - n., a dishonest person, a trickster.
Mostly Irish and Newfoundland usage, and not surprisingly comes from Irish/Gaelic -- specifically slíghbhín or, to use modern spelling, slíbhín, from sliabh, mountain, with the strong implication that the person is rural. I can't help wonder whether the producers of Doctor Who knew the word when the created the slitheen, though that's pronounced with stress on the second syllable. Not being Newfie or Irish, I can't give a very good usage example.
---L.
Mostly Irish and Newfoundland usage, and not surprisingly comes from Irish/Gaelic -- specifically slíghbhín or, to use modern spelling, slíbhín, from sliabh, mountain, with the strong implication that the person is rural. I can't help wonder whether the producers of Doctor Who knew the word when the created the slitheen, though that's pronounced with stress on the second syllable. Not being Newfie or Irish, I can't give a very good usage example.
---L.
Sunday Word: Yogibogeybox
Jun. 23rd, 2014 02:29 pmtheidolhands.livejournal.comyo·gi·bo·gey·box [ˌyȯ-gī-ˌˈbu-gē ˈbäks]:
origin: (1918) James Joyce; yogi= spiritual master bogey= imaginary monster + box= container
noun
A bag of tricks, the devices used by a spiritualist.
...or at least as penned by James Joyce below; yogiboogiebox is also an excellent example of a "nounce word", which is similar to made-up words (of various sorts), though it distinguishes itself by being used only once -- usually invented for a specific occasion in writing, and perhaps referenced or employed by other writers (in reference to itself), but never officially adapted into common usage or dictionaries.
origin: (1918) James Joyce; yogi= spiritual master bogey= imaginary monster + box= container
noun
A bag of tricks, the devices used by a spiritualist.
...or at least as penned by James Joyce below; yogiboogiebox is also an excellent example of a "nounce word", which is similar to made-up words (of various sorts), though it distinguishes itself by being used only once -- usually invented for a specific occasion in writing, and perhaps referenced or employed by other writers (in reference to itself), but never officially adapted into common usage or dictionaries.
Yogibogeybox in Dawson chambers. Isis Unveiled. Their Pali book we tried to pawn. Crosslegged under an umbrel umbershoot he thrones an Aztec logos, functioning on astral levels, their oversoul, mahamahatma. The faithful hermetists await the light, ripe for chelaship, ringround-about him. Louis H. Victory. T. Caulfield Irwin. Lotus ladies tend them i’the eyes, their pineal glands aglow. Filled with his god he thrones, Buddh under plantain. Gulfer of souls, engulfer. Hesouls, shesouls, shoals of souls. Engulfed with wailing creecries, whirled, whirling, they bewail.
— James Joyce, “Scylla and Charybdis,” Ulysses
theidolhands.livejournal.comcan·on [ˈkænən]:
origin: (13th Century) Greek; kanōn= rule", Latin; canonicus= one living under a rule
noun
Dr. Who as personal jesus, stories falling outside the accepted episodic happenstance are to be properly labeled "alternate universe" or AU. "Headcanon" as concepts existing only in one's brain or desire. "Retcon" short for retroactive continuity to call back canon and reestablish it under a new telling or in light of new information.
"Canon" is a word you hear used a lot lately, though mostly in terms of comic books or television storylines, the original usage of the word is biblical however. So, the definition expands beyond the accepted or degreed works & laws considered sacred, or the individual clergyman belonging to a church, to be an established set of rules or principles in works and practices of all kinds (by which something is judged); a criterion; that which is considered authentic.
In addition, there is a form of music referred to as "canon", where two or more independent melodic lines (or "voices) are injected into a piece, overlapping, until they morph into one consistent sound - such as the thoroughly famous: Pachelbel Canon in D Major.
--
yew [ˈyü\]:
origin: (before 900) Welsh; ywen, Irish eó= stem or shaft
noun
On Palm Sunday, this past Sunday and the Sunday before Easter, Christians honor the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a Donkey (the animal symbolizing peace, unlike the horse ridden into battle). The people are said to have laid down cloaks and branches of trees upon his path. As everyone in the world does not have access to palms or palm trees, several other substitutions are used: box, yew, willow, and olive.
I grew up with yew trees actually and never realized it until now, a community surrounded by trees with rigid green needles that never lost their color -- evergreens -- that grew little red berries that us young children would pretend to gobble (as parents had forbidden eating them as poisonous) or collect for decorative purposes in our little games and the established canon of our childhood rituals. Long ago, the wood of a yew tree, both strong and pliable, was seen ideal for making bows in archery too.
The fact that this year's Palm Sunday is followed immediately by a "blood moon" (or total lunar eclipse) feels especially auspicious, even if the appreciation is purely academic or scientific. Don't worry if you miss it, there are three more chances of seeing the moon turn red, or "a grouping of four" known throughout science and mathematics as the Greek-described tetrad; a bonus word for my tardiness!
origin: (13th Century) Greek; kanōn= rule", Latin; canonicus= one living under a rule
noun
Dr. Who as personal jesus, stories falling outside the accepted episodic happenstance are to be properly labeled "alternate universe" or AU. "Headcanon" as concepts existing only in one's brain or desire. "Retcon" short for retroactive continuity to call back canon and reestablish it under a new telling or in light of new information.
"Canon" is a word you hear used a lot lately, though mostly in terms of comic books or television storylines, the original usage of the word is biblical however. So, the definition expands beyond the accepted or degreed works & laws considered sacred, or the individual clergyman belonging to a church, to be an established set of rules or principles in works and practices of all kinds (by which something is judged); a criterion; that which is considered authentic.
In addition, there is a form of music referred to as "canon", where two or more independent melodic lines (or "voices) are injected into a piece, overlapping, until they morph into one consistent sound - such as the thoroughly famous: Pachelbel Canon in D Major.
--
yew [ˈyü\]:
origin: (before 900) Welsh; ywen, Irish eó= stem or shaft
noun
On Palm Sunday, this past Sunday and the Sunday before Easter, Christians honor the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a Donkey (the animal symbolizing peace, unlike the horse ridden into battle). The people are said to have laid down cloaks and branches of trees upon his path. As everyone in the world does not have access to palms or palm trees, several other substitutions are used: box, yew, willow, and olive.
I grew up with yew trees actually and never realized it until now, a community surrounded by trees with rigid green needles that never lost their color -- evergreens -- that grew little red berries that us young children would pretend to gobble (as parents had forbidden eating them as poisonous) or collect for decorative purposes in our little games and the established canon of our childhood rituals. Long ago, the wood of a yew tree, both strong and pliable, was seen ideal for making bows in archery too.
The fact that this year's Palm Sunday is followed immediately by a "blood moon" (or total lunar eclipse) feels especially auspicious, even if the appreciation is purely academic or scientific. Don't worry if you miss it, there are three more chances of seeing the moon turn red, or "a grouping of four" known throughout science and mathematics as the Greek-described tetrad; a bonus word for my tardiness!
Saturday Word: Donnybrook
Dec. 14th, 2013 02:00 amtheidolhands.livejournal.comdonn·y·brook [ˈdɒnɪbrʊk]:
origin: (1852) Domhnach Broc = "The Church of Saint Broc"
noun
This word is inspired by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
med_cat's word yesterday Taradiddle, except this one was a place in Ireland (now a suburb of Dublin).
Where, in the 12th century, a fair was held, which by the 18th century had devolved into a fifteen day extravaganza for boozy shenanigans. Visitors were warned that the people would sooner fight than eat! In 1855, Dublin Corporation bought up the rights and stopped the fair, but the reputation still holds to describe a brawl that fits any (likely all) of these adjectives: loud, crowded, public, chaotic, violent, and drunken.
See also: fights in sporting arenas
origin: (1852) Domhnach Broc = "The Church of Saint Broc"
noun
This word is inspired by
med_cat's word yesterday Taradiddle, except this one was a place in Ireland (now a suburb of Dublin).Where, in the 12th century, a fair was held, which by the 18th century had devolved into a fifteen day extravaganza for boozy shenanigans. Visitors were warned that the people would sooner fight than eat! In 1855, Dublin Corporation bought up the rights and stopped the fair, but the reputation still holds to describe a brawl that fits any (likely all) of these adjectives: loud, crowded, public, chaotic, violent, and drunken.
See also: fights in sporting arenas
Saturday Word: Banjanxed
Mar. 16th, 2013 10:23 pmtheidolhands.livejournal.comban·janx·ed (ˈbændʒækst):
origin: 1930's, Anglo-Irish
adjective
1. Broken, ruined, shattered; confounded.
2. Tired, sleepy, cream crackered.
“Don't overdo or you'll feel knackered or banjaxed.”
- Out of Ireland (8): Nixers, Gurriers and Eejits
origin: 1930's, Anglo-Irish
adjective
1. Broken, ruined, shattered; confounded.
2. Tired, sleepy, cream crackered.
- Out of Ireland (8): Nixers, Gurriers and Eejits
prettygoodword.livejournal.comogham or ogam (AW-guhm, OH-'uhm) - n., an alphabetic script used for carved inscriptions of Old Irish, consisting of groups of straight lines intersecting a main long line or edge; any of the 20 characters from this script; an inscription using this script.
Used from the 5th through 10th centuries, known mainly from stone memorials but known to have also been used on message sticks. The straight lines make this alphabet optimized for carving: Wikipedia shows the complete forms. Tradition ascribes the names of letters to trees, but this is disputed, and thanks to Robert Graves's interpretations in The White Goddess, the past couple generations' of scholarly battles over this have been quite entertaining (as long as you manage to keep your distance). The name for these letter was borrowed in the 1620s from Irish, where its origin is uncertain but traditionally associated with Ogma, the legendary inventor of this alphabet.
The ruined church has a beautiful round tower, a holy well, a primitive oratory, and a couple pillar stones inscribed in ogham.
---L.
Used from the 5th through 10th centuries, known mainly from stone memorials but known to have also been used on message sticks. The straight lines make this alphabet optimized for carving: Wikipedia shows the complete forms. Tradition ascribes the names of letters to trees, but this is disputed, and thanks to Robert Graves's interpretations in The White Goddess, the past couple generations' of scholarly battles over this have been quite entertaining (as long as you manage to keep your distance). The name for these letter was borrowed in the 1620s from Irish, where its origin is uncertain but traditionally associated with Ogma, the legendary inventor of this alphabet.
The ruined church has a beautiful round tower, a holy well, a primitive oratory, and a couple pillar stones inscribed in ogham.
---L.
theidolhands.livejournal.comCo·do·lo·gy (kɒdˈɒlədʒɪ):
origin: (1847) Irish, "cod" = joke or sham -- popularized late 19th century by James Joyce
noun
1. Informal (colloq.), the mastery or act of bluffing/deception; lying taken to the form of a pseudo-science.
→ see also: cods·wal·lop
origin: (1847) Irish, "cod" = joke or sham -- popularized late 19th century by James Joyce
noun
1. Informal (colloq.), the mastery or act of bluffing/deception; lying taken to the form of a pseudo-science.
→ see also: cods·wal·lop
prettygoodword.livejournal.comdornick (DAWR-nik) - n., a stone small enough to throw.
Specifically, small enough to throw out of a field that's being cleared. This is entirely an Americanism, borrowed around 1840 from Scots-Irish who settled in Pennsylvania around the time of the Famine, where it spread westward with settlers, from Irish Gaelic dornóg, a small round stone -- literally, fistful, with a sense closer to a stone that's just the right size for throwing. (There's a second sense of a stout linen cloth or coarse damask named after the Belgian city known as Doornik in Flemish and Tournai in French, but I'm ignoring that as less interesting.)
Tim was set to walking ahead of the plow, chucking dornicks into the woods.
---L.
Specifically, small enough to throw out of a field that's being cleared. This is entirely an Americanism, borrowed around 1840 from Scots-Irish who settled in Pennsylvania around the time of the Famine, where it spread westward with settlers, from Irish Gaelic dornóg, a small round stone -- literally, fistful, with a sense closer to a stone that's just the right size for throwing. (There's a second sense of a stout linen cloth or coarse damask named after the Belgian city known as Doornik in Flemish and Tournai in French, but I'm ignoring that as less interesting.)
Tim was set to walking ahead of the plow, chucking dornicks into the woods.
---L.
ersatz-read.livejournal.comI looked up from work, and it was Tuesday...so here's a belated Monday post.
clabber; sour milk that has thickened and curdled.
Etymology: from Irish Gaelic clabar, mud (similar to Irish claba, thick). Short for bonnyclabber (Irish bainne, milk).
In the late 1700's (or possibly earlier), inventive cooks experimented with methods of leavening (adding air to) dough without using yeast. An acid-alkali chemical reaction could quickly add bubbles - useful for making "quick breads". Clabber could provide the acid part of the reaction; potash might be used as the base.
Modern baking powder was invented in 1843 by Alfred Bird; it uses the same sort of acid-base chemical reaction but avoids the strong flavor of potash and the time required to curdle milk. Baking powder is composed of phosphate and baking soda (bicarbonate). Hulman & Company changed its baking powder product's name to Clabber Girl in 1923.
Traditional clabber is made using raw milk, a week or two old, that is left out in a warm area for a few days until solids appear. Pasteurized milk doesn't contain the needed bacteria for the process, but raw milk can potentially contain some very dangerous bacteria. Clabber can also be made by combining milk with vinegar or rennet. Another option is to use pasteurized milk and buttermilk.
clabber; sour milk that has thickened and curdled.
Etymology: from Irish Gaelic clabar, mud (similar to Irish claba, thick). Short for bonnyclabber (Irish bainne, milk).
In the late 1700's (or possibly earlier), inventive cooks experimented with methods of leavening (adding air to) dough without using yeast. An acid-alkali chemical reaction could quickly add bubbles - useful for making "quick breads". Clabber could provide the acid part of the reaction; potash might be used as the base.
Modern baking powder was invented in 1843 by Alfred Bird; it uses the same sort of acid-base chemical reaction but avoids the strong flavor of potash and the time required to curdle milk. Baking powder is composed of phosphate and baking soda (bicarbonate). Hulman & Company changed its baking powder product's name to Clabber Girl in 1923.
Traditional clabber is made using raw milk, a week or two old, that is left out in a warm area for a few days until solids appear. Pasteurized milk doesn't contain the needed bacteria for the process, but raw milk can potentially contain some very dangerous bacteria. Clabber can also be made by combining milk with vinegar or rennet. Another option is to use pasteurized milk and buttermilk.
imifumei.livejournal.comscoth Irish. (Rhymes with 'moth')
Actually, I must admit I am a bit confused by this word, so I am not so much informing as asking your collective opinion.
It's been commonly used among my family (who are of Irish descent) as a noun to mean 'a small piece of a greater whole that has been removed from the whole' in the same way as you might say bunch, shard, splinter, or chunk. Let me give a few examples.
"Cut me a scoth of those daisies from the front yard, would you?"
"I was hammering the nail in and a scoth of wood came up and hit me in the eye." (You should have been wearing protective goggles.)
"Tear off a scoth of that old towel to use as a dust rag."
So, basically a piece that has been removed from a bigger thing. But I recently realized that I had no clue of the etymology, so when I looked it up, I found two things. First, the Wiktionary.com entry which really didn't seem to agree with the usage with which I was familiar at all. Second, the Dictionary.com which, not only didn't agree, but even stated a different part of speech!
Wiktionary says:
noun:
1. flower
2. pick, choice
3. tuft, bunch
4. arrangement, style
I admit, it's not entirely off from what I know, but not exactly the same, either.
Dictionary.com says:
verb:
transitive. To clothe or cover up.
So, at this point, I am a bit stumped. Do I go with the way we've always used it as a valid definition or do I accept that it is simply a colloquialism specific to my family and say we've been using the word incorrectly all this time. Has anyone else ever heard it?
Actually, I must admit I am a bit confused by this word, so I am not so much informing as asking your collective opinion.
It's been commonly used among my family (who are of Irish descent) as a noun to mean 'a small piece of a greater whole that has been removed from the whole' in the same way as you might say bunch, shard, splinter, or chunk. Let me give a few examples.
"Cut me a scoth of those daisies from the front yard, would you?"
"I was hammering the nail in and a scoth of wood came up and hit me in the eye." (You should have been wearing protective goggles.)
"Tear off a scoth of that old towel to use as a dust rag."
So, basically a piece that has been removed from a bigger thing. But I recently realized that I had no clue of the etymology, so when I looked it up, I found two things. First, the Wiktionary.com entry which really didn't seem to agree with the usage with which I was familiar at all. Second, the Dictionary.com which, not only didn't agree, but even stated a different part of speech!
Wiktionary says:
noun:
1. flower
2. pick, choice
3. tuft, bunch
4. arrangement, style
I admit, it's not entirely off from what I know, but not exactly the same, either.
Dictionary.com says:
verb:
transitive. To clothe or cover up.
So, at this point, I am a bit stumped. Do I go with the way we've always used it as a valid definition or do I accept that it is simply a colloquialism specific to my family and say we've been using the word incorrectly all this time. Has anyone else ever heard it?
ersatz-read.livejournal.comcolcannon, a traditional Irish dish made with mashed potatoes and kale; other common ingredients include scallions, milk, butter, and salt and pepper.
Etymology: from Irish Gaelic cál ceannfionn, cabbage fair-headed
I might have to try this recipe; most discussions of the dish speak very favorably of it.
Etymology: from Irish Gaelic cál ceannfionn, cabbage fair-headed
I might have to try this recipe; most discussions of the dish speak very favorably of it.
