(le Róislín)

I’m rather stupefied by all the cultacha zombaí for Halloween this year, so couldn’t resist a few more mix’n’match phrases.  Keep in mind that in all these cases, the word “zombaí” is functioning as an adjective, so it comes after the main noun.  In this case, unlike the previous costume match-up, which was completing the phrases in Irish, this one is simply linking the Irish to the English.  Tá súil agam go mbainfidh sibh sult as!

Colún A                                               Colún B

1)      dochtúir zombaí                        a) zombie grave-digger

2)      reiligire zombaí                          b) zombie doctor

3)      creatlach zombaí                       c) zombie prom queen

4)      *prombhanríon zombaí             d) zombie skeleton

5)      manach zombaí                         e) zombie convict

0)                                                          f) zombie monk

Yes, there’s one extra entry in English, just to mix it up a little.

As a result of all this zombaímháine, I wonder how the now-vintage Hooters song is doing these days (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LE0KpcP05I).  It inspired teideal an bhlag seo, pé scéal é.  I doubt this Halloween’s zombies paid much attention to its memorable line “All you zombies, hide your faces!”  I think they went more for the “Show your faces!” line!

By the way, it occurred to me post-blog last time that “stocamhoncaí zombaí” (a zombie sock-monkey, one of this year’s popular costumes) could equally well mean “a zombie’s sock-monkey,” that is, a toy sock-monkey belonging to a zombie.  To resolve that, I suppose one would have to determine whether zombaithe play with stocamhoncaithe.  If so, context would have to be the final arbiter of the exact meaning of the phrase “stocamhoncaí zombaí!”

SGF, ó Róislín

Freagraí: 1b, 2a, 3d, 4c, 5f

Gluais: aghaidh [sounds like aye, eye, or I; the “g” and “d” are silent], face (pl: aghaidheanna [AI-uh-nuh, with the “AI” like “aye,” “eye,” or “I”); banríon, queen; creatlach, skeleton; cultacha, costumes (pl. of culaith, costume, suit); folaígí! hide! (command form); máine, mania; manach, monk; moncaí, monkey, here lenited to become “mhoncaí,” with a “w” or “v” sound for the “mh”; *prombhanríon, prom queen – yeah, I sort of made that term up since it’s not really an Irish tradition; reiligire, grave-digger (cf. reilig, cemetery).  “Convict,” if you’re interested in the Irish for the “place-holder” answer, would be either “daoránach” or “pianseirbhí.”