Search results

The word Cruachan is derived from the Gaelic 'cruach' which means 'a stack (of corn or hay), pile & (geographically) hill, mountain'. The sound of the ch is as in the symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨x⟩. In Cruachan and Loch the sound is identical with...

Thanks, so much, SBE. 'Heavily tattooed (I think there are two ts in the middle--my mistake:)) means as you say. The word τίγκα is very well worth while memorising; I've come across it before just recently, as I have the word φίσκα. This word is fascinating as it comes from an Ancient Greek...

Thanks, SBE, & Earion for your translations. They both sound natural Greek rather than somewhat laboured like my own version. A couple of points. Does Εγώ λέω να μην του χώνεσαι στη μύτη, γιατί μπορεί να φωνάξει το μεγάλο αδερφάκι του και δε θα περάσεις καλά mean 'I'm telling you not to meddle...

Thanks, Nickel. The man who appears in the video clip is Sorley (Sam) Maclean' whose elder brother John taught me Gaelic & whose eldest daughter Ishbel I dated for a while. John, the rector of Oban High School & taught my younger sister Greek & Latin, had a formidable intellect. He translated...

Thanks for all this stuff for reflection & 'Man's jaunty limerick! I didn't want for us to get bogged down on the subject of man boobs but a general translation of the above text, which I made a rough attempt at translating. I should have added that the 'wardrobe' was heavily tattooed. Is the...

Thanks for this plethora of idioms and the translation. The lexicons weren't helpful for 'beer gut'. Magenta had μπάκα ζυθοπότη--rather cumbersome and eventually I found κοιλίτσα in glosbe. Is the rest of the translation passable? Or does it need corrections? I like the joke:)

Thanks, Earion. So l could write for the whole mini-tale: μπροστά μου στο τοπικό καταστήμα ήταν ένας άνδρας με κοιλίτσα, ...κοιλίτσα τεράστια, μαστάρια, ξυρισμένο κεφάλι. Μια γυναίκα με χτύπησε ελαφρά στον ώμο και είπε χαμηλόφωνα: μην του πατάς τον κάλο. Έχει το ζωνάρι του λυμένο για καβγά.:)

This is a way-out sort of question, and I would like to know if there are any parallels or accounts in Greek to this report. The Cruacchan tunnel has a direct link with me since I applied to work there but was refused on the grounds of it being a very dangerous job. There were no health and...

'There was a man in front of me in the local store with a huge beer belly,, 'man boobs', and a shaven head. A woman tapped me on the shoulder and said in a low voice: I wouldn't like to cross swords with him--one of the burly brethren. How would this mini-story, which has just happened, go...

I wished I had known the Greek for 'and they all lived happily ever after'. I didn't understand the final bit of the sentence, hence I wanted to know the meaning of θα είχαν ζήσει αυτοί καλά κι εμείς καλύτερα. As usual I learn the hard way. I couldn't understand it so I was asking if I had...

Sorry for not having replied sooner, Dr. I've been laid up in bed with a terrible bout of flu, which I can't seem to shake off & my wife has gone away with her brother to a Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides. Surviving the day requires a gargantuan effort. I did say that 'on the back of the...

Thanks to all three. I rather predicted 'Man's video clip! Thanks to Earion for the image and to Marinos for giving me a very useful word to learn!:)

An English idiom meaning that you make progress but then experience events that cause you to be further behind than you were when you made the progress. The dictionary definition is that it describes a situation in which any progress made is counterbalanced by much greater setbacks. Examples...

Sorry about αυτό but my translation shows that it only applied to the first sentence. I know that a filler was probably an inaccurate term but it's a pause for thought word or a word like 'and that' in my native Lancashire speech or as SBE says a word that the speaker was trying to find & was...

Thanks, SBE. I'm gradually getting the hang of spoken Greek, but my course is of the standard variety. As you said, the diction of older people is less. Is the filler αυτό, meaning presumably 'and that sort of thing', limited to Crete?

Thanks for the usual help, SBE. By the way, in the matter of Κασσάνδρες, how did that fit into the context of the lisping Cretan old man? :)

Thanks, for your help Marinos. I found this usage strange to me but I am a novice in this department.

Thank you so much, 'Man. I know that you are often overworked, become stressed & are often depressed. But you are an invaluable colleague & an immense fount of knowledge. My first love for things Greek happened in Crete. You are a living link to all that is Cretan & more. I personally owe so...

So να here means 'not even'. Is this a Cretan idiom with δεν?

Thanks so much for your effort on my behalf. As Palαύρα said the Pentozali [πατιές she called it]is one of the most beautiful of all dances. I wanted to hear what the Cretans themselves, like you, thought about it & by accident I stumbled on this YouTube video clip. I'd like to translate all of...