Tag Archives: metaphor
On The Pig’s Back vs. On the (implied) Hog’s Back: An Irish Expression Exegetically Examined Posted by róislín on Aug 31, 2016
(le Róislín) A recent query about the Irish expression “on the pig’s back” prompted me to go back to the original blogpost on that topic in this series (nasc thíos, agus GRMA, a Jacqueline). Apparently over the years (and long before the beginning of this blog in 2009), many people have wondered whether the Irish…
Speaking of Pigeons (Colúir) Posted by róislín on Dec 14, 2013
(le Róislín) I’ll leave journalists Sean Dunne (IrishCentral) and Liz Alderman (New York Times) to “squabble” over the accuracy of the recent reference in the New York Times to “pigeon-eating” in Ireland. But it does seem to me like a good opportunity to explore the related Irish vocabulary (naisc do na hailt thíos). So we’ll…
Cineálacha Stoirmeacha (Kinds of Storms) Posted by róislín on Sep 3, 2010
Last blog we discussed hairicíní, for which the Irish word is an adaptation of either the Carib for “God of Evil” or the name of a Mayan storm god, Hurakan – the sources for this don’t agree on which. Either way, the word went through a couple of filters before reaching Irish, namely Spanish “huracán”…