Scots-Gaelic?

Why o why can't I find the Scots gaelic for "squid"? I've slogged my way through every darn english/gaelic online dictionary I could find. The only one I found is Irish Gaelic: mathair shuigh. But that can't be right, cuz mathair means mother. And I can't back-translate "shuigh" anywhere.

And there's enough squid fishing around Scotland (historically and presently) that there must be a short word for "squid".
Y'know, "squid" itself could be derived from something celtic, it's not scandahoovian and it's nothing like the latin... I need an OED.

Edit: Oooh, the 20 volume print edition of the OED is on sale right now for $895! Can't search that online unless you subscribe, but you can search the Compact OED for free: www.askoxford.com It says "squid" is of unknown origin. Now, if the OED doesn't even know where the word came from, it must REALLY be a mystery. (or gaelic? :p)

Anybody know the origin of the engilsh word "squid"?
Anybody know the Scots Gaelic word for "squid"?
Anybody know the english translation for "shuigh"?

Earthquakes and squids. My world is so exciting.

Just e-mailed Bruno
about this
The real ? is why o why is this so critical?
then of course, it *is* Knotted
better not to ask

Bah, it's not critical. I just like words. (I used to carry a dictionary around and read it. Really.)

I like that older english words that can kinda be related start with similar letters: glisten, glimmer, glint, glamor, gleam, glare; or squish, squash, squid, squirt, squeamish

Isn't that cool?

today is squid day.

Hmmm, I'm starting to think "mathair shuigh" is a naughty slang. Closest english translation I can come up with is "mother soaker."

Hmmmm.

I can't find a gaelic translation for squid either. I did come across some gaelic text in my searches where the phrase 'squid ink' stood out among a whole block of gaelic prose suggesting that either there is no gaelic for squid or squid is a gaelic word :confused: . Sometimes when I'm 'up north' I'll accidentally tune to a gaelic radio station and there will be several minutes of incomprehesible words then someone will say 'helicopter' which is disconcerting. (It's usually a news story about mountain resue).

Obviously helicopter is a more modern word than squid, hence no gaelic equivalent.
I did find this web site for the gaelic society of Inverness and there is an email address where you could email the secretary if that's any help.

http://www.gsi.org.uk

Slightly off topic, but I assume that if you're a word freak you've found te following site...http://forum.wordreference.com/ ?

I can get lost here for hours. Pick a language and there will be people discussing idioms and derivations from the viewpoint of oodles of different native languages.

Alas, no gaelic in the list, but there is a general forum you might try.

Oh. My. Gawd. :eek:

I've found "my people"!

(actually, Thorn, YOU found my people; and actually, they are my "other" people cuz TE cyclists are also my people, but that way is much more dramatic);)

WORD NERDS!!!!
An entire forum of word nerds!

Bruno, thank you for the gaelic contact. If I didn't feel like such a dork, "duh, I wanna know the word for "squid", I'd be writing right this very moment! Gotta hang out with the word nerds until I feel brave enough.

I kinda like the idea that "squid" is a mystery word. Maybe I'll solve it. My life's work: finding the derivation of squid! I'll be famous! Interviewed on the news! Splashed all over the front of the Wall Street Journal!

Woman of the Century! Even.

Btw Kalmar is "pencil box" in Mod Hebrew.

Cool! My pen/pencil case looks vaguely like a squid, and now I shall remember "kalmar" forever!

(Pssst... hey, Margo... if you give me a transliteration of the hebrew word for "squid" I'll add it to my signature line.:D )

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thorn

Slightly off topic, but I assume that if you're a word freak you've found te following site...http://forum.wordreference.com/ ?

I can get lost here for hours. Pick a language and there will be people discussing idioms and derivations from the viewpoint of oodles of different native languages.

Alas, no gaelic in the list, but there is a general forum you might try.

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I go here almost as much as TE for assistance with Italian. It's a great resource.

Yeah!!!! - I found it.

Scots Gaelic for squid is........gibearnach :D :D :D

Now we can all sleep easy.

Some sites give the alternative straoidhleachan but that seems to be interchangeable with octopus also. So I think the first is probably more specific.

Yes, I'm a word nerd too....or an anorak as we're called over here. I believe so called because trainspotters, the most nerdish of nerds, wear anoraks.

Another Sunday afternoon constructively filled. Actually it was great distraction from trying to hook up my new dvd recorder through my satellite box so that it actually works. I've been less successful on that front, unfortunately.:(

Diyonon

"diyo" is ink, btw, and the suffix is making it like an "ink-ing thing"

What is the diff between an anorak and a parka? Linguistically - functionally they are the same I think (tho' I wear a parka) They keep the wind out. Why should nerds/trainspotters suffer cold? Since 70% of heat loss is thru the head you need a hood and a (pref 100% wool) hat under it. If you have a pointy enough hood you can even put a pompom on the hat. But the nerdiest thing is people who tie the hood cord in a bow under their chinny-chin-chin (imo)

YAY BRUNO!!! THREE CHEERS!! :D :D :D

Thank you, thank you! Ah, yes, we can all sleep soundly tonight, the mystery has been solved by our own Bruno!

(I still wanna know the derivation of "squid", but my soul is content.)

And thank you, Margo!
<Knot rushes off to add words to her sig>

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Originally Posted by margo49

"What is the diff between an anorak and a parka? Linguistically - functionally they are the same I think (tho' I wear a parka)

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A parka has fur round the hood and is longer.

Bruno - please *try* to keep it clean.
There are sensitive souls on this forum

On this side of the pond it seems like an anorak is a pull-over windbreaker-thing and a parka is an insulated full-zip thing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bruno28

A parka has fur round the hood and is longer.

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I think both parkas and anoraks can have fur around the hood, or not as the case may be, but I think parkas open chin-to-hem whereas anoraks open only wide enough at the neckline to pull them over your head. But I could be wrong. And people tend to use both terms pretty much interchangeably.

Wikipedia says we're both right. They have different lengths, and once upon a time anoraks didn't have full length openings:

"An anorak or parka is a type of heavy jacket with a hood, often lined with fur or fun fur, so as to protect the face from a combination of freezing temperatures and wind.

This kind of garment was invented by the indigenous inhabitants of the Arctic region, who needed clothing that would protect them from windchill and wet while hunting and kayaking. The word anorak comes from the Greenlandic Inuit anoraq, while the word parka is of Aleut origin. Underneath the anorak the Inuit wear warm clothes. Inuit anoraks have to be regularly coated with fish oil to keep their water resistance.

The words "anorak" and "parka" are now often used interchangeably, but when first introduced they described somewhat different garments, and the distinction is still maintained by some. Strictly speaking, an anorak is a waterproof jacket with a hood and drawstrings at the waist and cuffs; while a parka is a knee-length cold-weather jacket or coat, typically stuffed with down or very warm synthetic fibre, and having a fur-lined hood. Originally an anorak specifically implied a pull-over jacket without a zipper, button or frogged opening, but this distinction is now largely lost, and many garments with a full-length front opening are now described as anoraks."

Since you are closer to the Arctic Circle you are likely right, Duck-ie

Quote:

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Originally Posted by margo49

But the nerdiest thing is people who tie the hood cord in a bow under their chinny-chin-chin (imo)

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Uh-oh.

(quickly untying little bow under my chin, trying to look casual about it...)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

Uh-oh.

(quickly untying little bow under my chin, trying to look casual about it...)

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What you *can * do is gather up your hood and then tie 2 little knots in the cord right by the hood eyelets so it stays like that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Duck on Wheels

Inuit anoraks have to be regularly coated with fish oil to keep their water resistance.

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When I was a kid my anorak was made of bri-nylon (a synthetic fabric now defunct) thus negating the need for regular coating with fish oil. I no longer own either an anaorak or a parka but I do have a rather nifty waterproof jacket which one of my friends likes to refer to as a 'kagool' (which word also has nerdish overtones here). :cool:

Strictly speaking it's not a kagool as kagools don't have a full length zip.

Actually, having re-read this I find I may indeed be a bit of an anorak:eek:

Margo - you need to behave.

When I lived in Fife we all had cagoules. Mine was yellow... sigh. I loved my cagoule. For a while LL Bean made something like my old cagoule, and I bought one for old times sake. They don't make it any more. ...sigh again.

It was a pullover with a hood. Reached to mid thigh. Had a drawstring waist. Velcroed kangaroo pocket on the front chest, and behind the kangaroo pocket was a tunnel pocket (like on a sweatshirt) that was fleece-lined for warming your hands. Pit zips.

Kept mine going for about 15 years, and then it finally fell apart. (I think it was the "trail model" jacket, but they don't make the cagoule style any more)

Gosh. I just wear two jackets :) Or if it's really, really frigid - a coat. I've found that once they start calling 'em parkas or anoraks, you have to pay more.

What a fun thread! Unfortunately, I'm knee-deep in freshman essays, and many of them barely exhibit control of their own language, never mind any others! So back to the paper-grading salt mines.....