{"id":1683,"date":"2012-01-14T14:58:55","date_gmt":"2012-01-14T14:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=1683"},"modified":"2012-01-24T16:22:34","modified_gmt":"2012-01-24T16:22:34","slug":"cuig-fhrasa-bearla-gan-mhaith-de-reir-fhionntan-ui-thuathail-aka-fintan-otoole-cuid-44","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/cuig-fhrasa-bearla-gan-mhaith-de-reir-fhionntan-ui-thuathail-aka-fintan-otoole-cuid-44\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00faig Fhr\u00e1sa (B\u00e9arla) Gan Mhaith (De R\u00e9ir Fhionnt\u00e1n U\u00ed Thuathail aka Fintan O\u2019Toole) (Cuid 4\/4)"},"content":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Faoi dheireadh, an starr dheireanach!<\/strong>\u00a0 Finally, the home stretch!\u00a0 Cuid a ceathair as ceithre chuid<\/strong> (Part 4 of 4 parts). \u00a0Today\u2019s blog will deal with the fifth of the c\u00faig iontr\u00e1il<\/strong> in Fintan O\u2019Toole\u2019s \u201cWasting Good Words on a Terrible Situation\u201d (www.irishtimes.com\/newspaper\/opinion\/2012\/0103\/1224309734610_pf.html<\/a>). \u00a0I\u2019ll repeat the SPOILER ALERT though.\u00a0 You might want to wait until finishing\u00a0an blag seo<\/strong> and the previous three sa tsraith cheathairchodach seo <\/strong>to read O’Toole’s article, since these four blogs are set up as a d\u00fashl\u00e1n<\/strong> to discover, via Irish, what English words he listed.<\/p>\n

To quickly review the terms already covered in this series, seo c\u00faig fhocal le meaitse\u00e1il:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. d\u00e9ine<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 a. difficult<\/p>\n

2. tarrth\u00e1il<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 b. austerity (1)<\/p>\n

3. g\u00e1tar\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 c. sacrifice<\/p>\n

4. \u00edobairt<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 d. bailout<\/p>\n

5. deacair<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 e. austerity (2)<\/p>\n

If \u00a0you\u2019ve just joined this d\u00fashl\u00e1n focal,<\/strong> the answers are\u00a0sna tr\u00ed bhlag roimhe seo<\/strong>: \u201causterity,\u201d \u201cbailout\u201d https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/cuig-fhrasa-bearla-gan-mhaith-de-reir-fhionntan-ui-thuathail-aka-fintan-o%E2%80%99toole-cuid-13\/<\/a>; \u201cdifficult\u201d https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/cuig-fhrasa-bearla-gan-mhaith-de-reir-fhionntan-ui-thuathail-aka-fintan-o%E2%80%99toole-cuid-24\/<\/a>, and \u201csacrifice\u201d https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/cuig-fhrasa-bearla-gan-mhaith-de-reir-fhionntan-ui-thuathail-aka-fintan-o%E2%80%99toole-cuid-34\/<\/a>. Or just check na freagra\u00ed th\u00edos<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

At any rate, that brings us up to iontr\u00e1il a c\u00faig<\/strong>.\u00a0 This one is a full-fledged seanfhocal<\/strong>, so instead of just listing comhainmneacha <\/strong>(synonyms), I\u2019ll provide two keywords and see if you can piece the seanfhocal<\/strong> together.\u00a0 It\u2019s quite well known in English.<\/p>\n

5. eochairfhocail <\/strong>(keywords): diabhal, mionsonra<\/strong><\/p>\n

But wait, it\u2019s not quite that simple.\u00a0 Or to paraphrase the pitchmen of the gn\u00e9chl\u00e1racha f\u00f3gra\u00edochta, \u201cAch fan, t\u00e1 a thuilleadh ann!\u201d \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are a couple of other possibilities for \u201cmionsonra<\/strong>,\u201d such as \u201cmionphointe<\/strong>\u201d or simply \u201csonra<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 The prefix \u201cmion<\/strong>-\u201c can be added to \u201csonra<\/strong>\u201d or to \u201cpointe<\/strong>\u201d to emphasize the miniaturizing aspect, and, of course it can also be added to hundreds, perhaps thousands of other words, like \u201cmionarm<\/strong>\u201d (small weapon), \u201cmionchabhlach<\/strong>\u201d (flotilla), \u201cmionduirling<\/strong>\u201d (small shingle-beach), \u201cmionfheoil<\/strong>\u201d (minced meat), \u201cmiongh\u00e1ire<\/strong>\u201d (smile, soft chuckle), and \u201cmion-ghn\u00e9chl\u00e1r<\/strong>\u201d (featurette).<\/p>\n

For that matter, there are also a number of synonyms or nicknames (umm, \u201cold\u201d-nicknames?) for \u201can diabhal<\/strong>\u201d in Irish, including \u201can giolla goill\u00edn<\/strong> (lit. the tormentor-lad)\u201d \u201can mac mallachta <\/strong>(lit. the son of curses),\u201d and \u201can t-\u00e1ibhirseoir <\/strong>(the adversary).\u201d\u00a0 In fact, he goes by various names in English too, such as \u201cOld Scratch,\u201d \u201cMr. Splitfoot,\u201d and \u201cOld Nick.\u201d\u00a0 In today\u2019s proverb, however, the most basic name, \u201cdevil,\u201d is the one that applies.<\/p>\n

There are still a few points to keep in mind with our \u201cdiabhal\/mionsonra<\/strong>\u201d proverb.\u00a0 \u201cSonra<\/strong>\u201d means \u201cdetail\u201d and \u201cmionsonra<\/strong>\u201d is \u201cminor detail,\u201d but the words are sometimes used interchangeably.\u00a0 \u201cPointe<\/strong>\u201d can mean \u201cpoint\u201d in general, but also means \u201ca particular (thing\/aspect),\u201d \u201ca precise spot,\u201d and \u201ca distinctive trait;\u201d I don\u2019t think \u201cpointe<\/strong>\u201d is the best choice for \u201cdetail\u201d here, since it can mean so many other things (including \u201cheadland,\u201d \u201ctip,\u201d \u201cdirection,\u201d etc.).\u00a0 \u201cMionphointe<\/strong>\u201d [MIN-FWIN-tchuh], though, means \u201cfine point,\u201d \u201csmall point,\u201d or \u201cparticular detail,\u201d so could be used here.<\/p>\n

I looked for examples of this proverb in Irish online, and found, at most a mere handful of examples (about five!).\u00a0 I was a bit surprised, since it is so widely used in English and seems to have a universal meaning.\u00a0 How widely used in English? \u00a01,370,000 hits worth.\u00a0 In the search for Irish versions, I used all the variations for \u201cdetail\u201d that I could think of.\u00a0 That included both singular and plural forms for words like \u201cpointe\u201d (point\u00ed), \u201cmionphointe\u201d (mionphoint\u00ed), \u201csonra\u201d (sonra\u00ed), <\/strong>and \u201cmionsonra\u201d (mionsonra\u00ed).<\/strong>\u00a0 An interesting point is that in English, there is a split as to whether we\u2019re just discussing one detail (or perhaps, with a bit of sineicdic\u00e9<\/strong>, one detail stands for all the detail) or whether we say \u201cdetails\u201d (plural).\u00a0 At any rate, there is a fairly consistent split in English, with American writers tending to use the plural form (details) and both Irish and British writers using the singular (detail).<\/p>\n

So if you want to translate this proverb with the plural sense, it would be: T\u00e1 an diabhal sna mionsonra\u00ed (sna mionphoint\u00ed, sna sonra\u00ed, srl.), \u201c<\/strong>the devil is in the details.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Toole uses the proverb with the word \u201cdetail\u201d in the singular, so that would be: T\u00e1 an diabhal sa mhionsonra (sa mhionphointe, sa sonra, srl.), \u201c<\/strong>the devil is in the detail.\u201d<\/p>\n

At some other point, we can review the difference between \u201csna<\/strong>\u201d (plural) and \u201csa<\/strong>\u201d (singular), but that would definitely be at least blag ioml\u00e1n eile<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Another thought that occurred to me in looking at this proverb is the possible use of the habitual form of the verb \u201cto be\u201d (which Standard English doesn\u2019t differentiate).\u00a0 So I also double-checked for examples with \u201cb\u00edonn<\/strong>\u201d but found \u2026 tada<\/strong> (aka faic<\/strong>)!\u00a0 \u201cB\u00edonn<\/strong>\u201d is routinely used in sentences that have adverbs like \u201ci gc\u00f3na\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d (always) or \u201cgo minic<\/strong>\u201d (often), but even on its own, it suggests the habitual nature of an activity.\u00a0 In theory, we could say \u201cB\u00edonn an diabhal sna mionsonra\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d (the devil does be in the details) but I found neither hide nor hair of that online either.<\/p>\n

I also checked for fronting, which would be used for extra emphasis (Is sna mionsonra\u00ed at\u00e1 an diabhal<\/strong>, etc.).\u00a0 Diabhal amas a fuair m\u00e9 mar sin<\/strong> (\u201cDivil\u201d a hit I got like that, that is to say, tada, rud ar bith, faic na fr\u00edde<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

In other words, the picture is pretty clear.\u00a0 This seemingly simple proverb just isn\u2019t widely represented in Irish, at least not according to a fairly comprehensive search.\u00a0 To the limited extent that I can find it online, it varies slightly in form (sonra\u00ed, mionsonra\u00ed, mionphoint\u00ed<\/strong>) and it also tends to preceded or marked by a linguistic disclaimer, suggesting that the writers realize that they\u2019re really using an English expression and translating it.\u00a0 One such introductory phrase is \u201cMar a deirtear<\/strong>\u201d (as it is said).\u00a0 Another technique is to put the phrase in quotation marks.\u00a0 Admittedly, that might be true of proverbs in general, but it seems to be all the more telling here, given the lack of Irish examples in a natural context.\u00a0 Of the few places I found an Irish version of this proverb online, they were mostly translation sites, or primarily North American sites (or both together).\u00a0 This suggests that the writers were aware that they were using an Irish version of a saying that is not traditionally found in Irish.\u00a0 Which is done a-plenty these days, and makes life all the more interesting.<\/p>\n

So, suimi\u00fail, nach ea<\/strong>, that there should be so many examples of this proverb in English and so few in Irish, especially since Irish is rich in both humorous and threatening traditional expressions regarding the devil.\u00a0 Some of these include \u00a0“An rud a thig thar dhroim an diabhail, im\u00edonn s\u00e9 faoina bholg<\/strong>,” “Beidh an diabhal is a mh\u00e1thair le d\u00edol<\/strong>,” and “Cead an diabhail acu!” \u00a0<\/strong>But the translations for those will have to wait for blag eile<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, getting back to O\u2019Toole\u2019s list, somehow, in the back of my mind I keep mulling over yet another Irish proverb as a near-ish equivalent to \u201cThe devil is in the detail.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s certainly not a literal equivalent, and takes a somewhat different slant on the issues like maol\u00fa<\/strong> (obfuscation, mollification, lessening, reduction, dulling) and dorch\u00fa<\/strong> (obfuscation, darkening, being secretive). \u00a0But nevertheless, I\u2019d like to suggest it as at least an angle on looking at deliberately obfuscated material, perhaps overloaded with mionsonra\u00ed<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

An rud a scr\u00edobhann an p\u00faca, l\u00e9ann s\u00e9 f\u00e9in \u00e9<\/strong>.\u00a0 (What the pooka writes, he himself reads, i.e. only he can read it).<\/p>\n

So perhaps that suggests that some of the mealy-mouthed, jargon-laden doublespeak that we encounter in official documents could be written by p\u00faca\u00ed,<\/strong> and that would explain it all!\u00a0 An f\u00edor dom \u00e9?\u00a0 Bhur mbar\u00falacha?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

And further checking out bhur mbar\u00falacha, <\/strong>what do you think of O\u2019Toole\u2019s conclusion, that these words (austerity, bailout, difficult, sacrifice, the devil is in the details) not be used, except, as he says, \u201cironically and in inverted commas\u201d?\u00a0 Of course, I\u2019m sure he doesn\u2019t realistically expect the words will actually be outlawed or that \u00edor\u00f3in<\/strong> (irony) will trump tl\u00e1ith\u00edneacht<\/strong> (\u201cmealy-mouthedness\u201d, wheedling, flattery) or b\u00e9arlagair an mhaorlathais<\/strong> (bureaucratic jargon) or ceol dra\u00edochta an bh\u00e9alghr\u00e1<\/strong> (the magic music of lip-service).\u00a0 \u00a0Or that uascham\u00f3ga<\/strong> will be diligently used where advisable.\u00a0 O\u2019Toole does, however, make a strong plea for society as a whole to devote more attention to issues such as \u201crepublic,\u201d \u201cdemocracy,\u201d equality,\u201d \u201cjustice,\u201d and \u201csanity.\u201d\u00a0 So in some future blog, we\u2019ll get back to those terms in Irish, and perhaps c\u00fapla ainmfhocal teib\u00ed eile<\/strong> (and perhaps a few other abstract nouns).\u00a0 But idir an d\u00e1 linn, \u00e1bhair n\u00edos \u00e9adroime<\/strong>?\u00a0 SGF, R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Freagra\u00ed don \u201cmheaitse\u00e1il\u201d<\/strong>: 1b, d\u00e9ine<\/strong>, austerity (1); 2d, tarrth\u00e1il,<\/strong> bailout; 3e, g\u00e1tar<\/strong>, austerity (2); 4c, \u00edobairt<\/strong>, sacrifice; 5a, deacair<\/strong>, difficult<\/p>\n

Gluais<\/strong>: amas<\/strong>, hit (in computer search); b\u00e9alghr\u00e1<\/strong>, lip-service; ceathairchodach<\/strong>, four-part; \u00e9adrom<\/strong>, light; gn\u00e9chl\u00e1r f\u00f3gra\u00edochta, <\/strong>infomercial (cf. gn\u00e9chlar<\/strong>, feature program); sa<\/strong>, in the (followed by a singular noun, as in \u201csa bhosca<\/strong>\u201d); idir an d\u00e1 linn, <\/strong>meanwhile; sineicdic\u00e9<\/strong>, synecdoche; sna<\/strong>, in the (followed by a plural noun, as in \u201csna bosca\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d); sraith<\/strong>, series.<\/p>\n

N\u00f3ta don iontr\u00e1il \u201cb\u00e9alghr\u00e1\u201d<\/strong>: as for \u201cceol dra\u00edochta an bh\u00e9alghr\u00e1<\/strong>,\u201d thanks to Ruth Nic Giolla Iasachta (an t-iriseoir \/ dr\u00e1mad\u00f3ir \/ scr\u00edbhneoir scripte<\/strong>) for that fr\u00e1sa gonta<\/strong> (pithy phrase, which is, ironically, ar \u00e1bhar na neamhghontachta<\/strong>), from her article \u201cTeannas agus Drochamhras\u201d (http:\/\/www.beo.ie\/alt-teannas-agus-drochamhras.aspx<\/a>).\u00a0 Both \u201cceol dra\u00edochta<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cb\u00e9alghr\u00e1<\/strong>\u201d are established, traditional Irish phrases, but the combination is, drmbansm, one of those moments of inspired journalistic phraseology.\u00a0 In this case it neatly links Irish folklore (the \u201cceol dra\u00edochta\u201d<\/strong>) with \u00f3r\u00e1id\u00edocht pholaiti\u00fail thocsaineach<\/strong> (toxic political oratory), a rare combination!<\/p>\n

N\u00f3ta don n\u00f3ta: ar \u00e1bhar \u2026, <\/strong>on the topic of \u2026, drmbansm<\/strong>, my new acronym for IMHO, lit. de r\u00e9ir mo bhar\u00fala, ach nach saoi m\u00e9<\/strong> (according to my opinion but it\u2019s not an expert that I am); neamhghontachta<\/strong>, non-pithiness<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Faoi dheireadh, an starr dheireanach!\u00a0 Finally, the home stretch!\u00a0 Cuid a ceathair as ceithre chuid (Part 4 of 4 parts). \u00a0Today\u2019s blog will deal with the fifth of the c\u00faig iontr\u00e1il in Fintan O\u2019Toole\u2019s \u201cWasting Good Words on a Terrible Situation\u201d (www.irishtimes.com\/newspaper\/opinion\/2012\/0103\/1224309734610_pf.html). \u00a0I\u2019ll repeat the SPOILER ALERT though.\u00a0 You might want to wait…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[111865,111866,111867,172866,111863,111864,4949,111868,111876,111819,111870,6112,111875,111873,2418,111874,111869,6741,111872],"class_list":["post-1683","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-austerity","tag-austerity-budget","tag-bailout","tag-bealghra","tag-bearlagair-an-mhaorlathais","tag-bureaucratic-jargon","tag-devil","tag-difficult","tag-doublespeak","tag-fintan-otoole","tag-lip-service","tag-mion","tag-obfuscation","tag-pooka","tag-prefix","tag-puca","tag-sacrifice","tag-seanfhocal","tag-tlaithineacht"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1683"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1704,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1683\/revisions\/1704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}