Blair Collection > Collection of Gaelic proverbs and familiar phrases

8
Aiteamh na gaoithe tuath, sueachd 'us reodhadh anns
an uair.
After thaw with northern blast, snow and frost fol-
low fast.
Aithne an Lecklbasaich mhoir air an Leodliasach
eile.
The big Levns man's recognition of the other Lewis
man.
The big man is supposed to say, ' Tha aitlme gun chuimlin'
agam ort/ I recognise, but don't remember you.
Aithneachadh bo badhail, no fàilt a' chruidh.
The wandering cow's vjelcome, or the kine's salute.
Macintosh's explanation of this saying is, that when a strange
beast joins a herd the rest attack it. An ingenious commentator
suggests as the proper reading, ' Aithuichidh bo a badhail,' A
cow knows her own stall, which makes good sense. But the noun
' badhail ' is Irish ; ' buabhail ' is our word for stall.
Aitbnichear air a' bheagan ciamar a bbiodh am moran.
From tJie little may be seen what the big might have
been.
Aithnicbear am balach 's a'mbaduinn — bristidb e
barrall a bbroige.
The clown is known at morning — he breaks his shoe-tie.
This is a curious illustration of the general amenity of man-
ners characteristic of the Celts. The 'balach' is a combination of
'bully' and 'snob,' and it is meant that he is so rude and impatient
that he can't even tie his shoe without showing his roughness.
Curiously enough, a word expressing much the same thing
in modern Greek is ^Xaxos.
Aitbnicbear an leomhan air sgriob de 'ionga.
TJie lion is known by a scratch of his date.
Ex ungue leonem. — Lat. P. Dall' unghia si conosce il
leone. — Ital. A I'ongle on connait le lion. — Fr.
Aitlmichear fear doimeig air fàire.
The slatterns husband can be knoion afar.
The Ulster version is, ' Aithnighear fear na cuaròige air
fàithche a measg chàich'. A South Uist saying is, 'Is lualh fear na
droch mhna air a' mhachair Uibliistich ' — iSwift goes the bad
wife's husband on the Uist plain.