(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)<\/p>\n
Here are a few more \u201chead phrases,\u201d that is, phrases with the Irish word \u201cceann\u201d <\/strong>(head, end, extremity, one, top, etc.).\u00a0 <\/strong>There are actually probably several hundred idiomatic, figurative, or non-literal uses of \u201cceann,\u201d <\/strong>so once again this is just c\u00fapla sampla.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Teach ceann tu\u00ed<\/span><\/strong>: thatched house, lit. house of a head\/roof of thatch<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n N\u00e1 d\u00e9an ceann d\u00edot f\u00e9in!<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 Don\u2019t make a show of yourself!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n O\u00edche Chinn Bliana <\/span><\/strong>or O\u00edche Chinn Bhliana, <\/strong>New Year\u2019s Eve, lit. eve of the end of the year.\u00a0 There seem to be different interpretations here of s\u00e9imhi\u00fa <\/strong>with the double genitive, for the word \u201cbliana<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 And there are other, less literal phrases for New Year\u2019s Eve, too, but we\u2019ll save all that for another day.\u00a0 Note to self: \u00e1bhar an bhlag don 31\u00fa l\u00e1 de mh\u00ed na Nollag<\/strong>.\u00a0 If any can help me remember to do that in 3 \u00bd months, bheinn bu\u00edoch d\u00edot<\/strong> (I\u2019d be grateful).\u00a0 C\u00e9n Ghaeilge at\u00e1 ar \u201ctickler file\u201d?<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Euro an ceann<\/span><\/strong>, a euro each, and by the way, this is one of the very few words in Irish where you\u2019ll see \u201ceu\u201d as a vowel combination.\u00a0 Apparently the idea for the word \u201ceuro\u201d was to keep it intact in all the languages where it came into effect.\u00a0 The Irish words for \u201cEurope\u201d and \u201cEuropean\u201d all have an initial \u201ceo\u201d (Eoraip<\/strong>, Eorapach<\/strong>).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n There are some interesting uses of \u201cceann<\/strong>\u201d to describe specific animals.\u00a0 So, mar shampla,<\/strong> a big-headed sideneck turtle is a \u201cturtar p\u00edbl\u00fabach ceannmh\u00f3r<\/strong>\u201d but for some animals, the \u201c-headed\u201d part actually gets an adjective ending (-ach<\/strong>), as in pearaic\u00edt bhl\u00e1thcheannach<\/strong> (blossom-headed parakeet). \u00a0I\u2019ll have to look into those pearaic\u00edt\u00ed bl\u00e1thcheannacha <\/strong>\u2013 sounds very Peter Maxian to me!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n There are quite a few place names in Irish that use the word \u201cceann.\u201d\u00a0 Seo c\u00fapla ceann:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Ceann Bhr\u00e9<\/span><\/strong>, Bray Head (Co. Wicklow) but Ceann Bhreagha<\/strong>, Bray Head (Co. Kerry)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Ceann Ros Eoghain<\/span><\/strong>, Rossan Point, Co. Donegal, lit. the end of the promontory of Eoghan<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Ceann Toirc, <\/span><\/strong>Kanturk, Co. Cork<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Ceann Sl\u00e9ibhe<\/span><\/strong>, Slea Head, Co. Kerry<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ll leave you with a very intriguing phrase, and perhaps any sailors out there could comment on what exactly the English means:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n dearadh ceannramhar<\/span><\/strong>, which literally would most readily be translated as \u201cfat-headed design,\u201d but for which I presume \u201cthick-headed\u201d would be a somewhat nicer literal rendition.\u00a0 This is the Irish for \u201ccod\u2019s head and mackerel tail design<\/em>\u201d in boatbuilding.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>The phrases might mean the same thing, but, as you might have guessed, there\u2019s not much overlap in the actual words, since Irish phrase doesn\u2019t use any form of the words trosc<\/strong> (cod), ronnach<\/strong> (mackerel), or eireaball \/ ruball<\/strong> (tail).\u00a0 Not that one would expect them to, since the cod and mackerel analogies are already being used figuratively, and figurative language jumps all over the map as you go from language to language. SGF —\u00a0R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Here are a few more \u201chead phrases,\u201d that is, phrases with the Irish word \u201cceann\u201d (head, end, extremity, one, top, etc.).\u00a0 There are actually probably several hundred idiomatic, figurative, or non-literal uses of \u201cceann,\u201d so once again this is just c\u00fapla sampla.\u00a0 \u00a0 Teach ceann tu\u00ed: thatched house, lit. house of a head\/roof…<\/p>\n