What’s The Opposite of “Deochanna Meisciúla”? Posted by róislín on Oct 11, 2009
Thinking about the term “soft drinks,” I got to pondering over how and when we use phrase “hard drinks” in English. I just compared the number of Google citations for “hard drinks” vs. “soft drinks” in English, ca. 46,800 (hard) to ca. 5,780,000 (soft) – an interesting contrast. “Hard liquor” gives about 581,000 hits but…
Deochanna Eile Seachas Guinness! Posted by róislín on Oct 6, 2009
Ar ndóigh tá rudaí eile le n-ól ann seachas leann dubh. Seo cuid acu, ag tosú le bricfeasta: sú oráiste, b’fhéidir sú oráiste úrbhrúite (fresh-squeezed) sú mónóg sú pomagránaití caoineog tae (dubh, glas, nó bán) nó tae luibhe caife (gan bhainne nó gan chaiféin nó cuid mhór cineálacha eile, ach ní dóigh liom go…
Blas agus Tréithí Leann Dubh Guinness Posted by róislín on Oct 2, 2009
Here are some interesting phrases for describing the taste of Guinness, giving us some new ways to combine Irish vocabulary words. I’ve translated all of them from fan discussions I’ve found online. There’s a glossary “ag bun an bhlag” and some pronunciation notes are given: 1) bainne seacláide na mbeoracha [… nuh MYOR-ukh-uh] …
Táirge Gearrshaolach Guinness – An Cuimhin Leat É? Ar Bhlais Tú É? Posted by róislín on Sep 28, 2009
I’m still mulling over some good descriptions of Guinness in Irish and the one that comes first to mind, in English, doesn’t seem to exactly fit in Irish. “Mellow” could be “méith” or “súmhar” or “maothlach” or “lánaibí.” But these could also mean “fertile,” “succulent,” mushy,” or “fully ripe/mature,” in that order, and none of…
Lá Breithe Sona Duit, a Ghrúdlann Mhic Aonghusa (1759-2009) Posted by róislín on Sep 25, 2009
Another noteworthy news event gives us the opportunity for a velvety smooth vocabulary lesson. Yesterday (an ceathrú lá is fiche de mhí Mheán Fómhair) was the 250th anniversary of Grúdlann Mhic Aonghusa. At least that’s what the name would be in Irish, though there doesn’t seem to be too much precedence for its use. Although…
What Comes After “Ceann, Gualainn, Glúin is Cos?” “Súile, Cluasa, Béal is Srón” Posted by róislín on Sep 23, 2009
So you’ve probably been diligently stretching and touching your toes, singing, “Ceann, Gualainn, Glúin is Cos” and wondering what comes next. Well, maybe you’d already figured it out, but, ar eagla na heagla (just in case): “súile, cluasa, béal is srón” Here’s a little more detail on some of the words: súil…
“Ceann, Gualainn, Glúin is Cos, Glúin is Cos” – Can agus Sín! (Sing and Stretch) Posted by róislín on Sep 20, 2009
Some of you may already have been singing this, especially if you have a tachrán (toddler) in the house. Perhaps you know the song as “Cabeza, hombros, rodillas y pies”? Yes, sometimes “rodillas” is sung as “piernas” and theoretically we should have, dedos de pies, but apparently Spanish pre-school teachers have already decided that phrase…