Blair Collection > Collection of Gaelic proverbs and familiar phrases

340
Eiglmeas an laoigh fliirinn.
The toughness of the lull-calf.
Einn e baotliaire dhetb.
He made a fool of him.
Einn e coileach-dubli dhetli.
He made a black-cock of him.
He shot him dead.
This suggests the saying of the bard Iain L6m, when he was
shown a quantity of black-cocks' heads at Inveraray, and asked, if
he had ever seen so many ? ' Yes,' he said, ' I saw more of them
at Inverlochy' ; alluding to the slaughter of the Campbells at the
battle there.
Al. Rinn e biadh ian deth — He made birds' food of him.
Al. Rinn e pasgadh na piob air — He doubled him up like a
bagpipe.
Einn e faraiche de'n fharaiche.
He made a plug of the plug-driver.
Driving out a plug with another, and that other sticking in its
place.
Einn e luath 'us deargannan ann.
He made ashes and fleas there.
I.e., he staid there long enough.
Einneadh air son toil na cuideachd e, mar 'chaidh an
tàillear do Pheairt.
It was done to please the company, as the tailor went
to Perth,
Eogliainn de 'n chuid a's miosa.
Choice of the worse part.
Eoghainn de 'n chuid nach fhaigh e,
Choice of what he will not get.
Eoinn a' mhic ri 'mliàthair.
The son's sharing loith his mother
Eoinn mic 'us athar.
The sharing of father and son.
Eoinn Mhic Cmislig air na crùbain.
MacCruslick's dividing of the crabs.
He put the contents of the best-looking ones into the worst-
looking ones, which he afterwards got for himself.
Eoinn na màthar ris a nighinn.
The mother's sharing with her daughter.