- le moine / le religieux = monk = mynach
- le monastère = monastery = mynachlog
- la (bonne) sœur / la religieuse = nun = lleian
- le couvent = nunnery / convent = lleiandy / cwfaint
- se vanter = to boast = brolio / ymffrostio
- la vantardise = (a) boast = brol / ymffrost
- épais = thick = trwchus / tew
- mince / fin / maigre = thin = tenau / main / cul
- une brebis galeuse = black sheep (“mangy ewe”) = dafad ddu
- à chaque troupeau sa brebis galeuse = there’s a black sheep in every flock = y mae dafad ddu ym mhob praidd
- le champ des courses = racecourse = cae rhedeg
- s’éndormir = to fall asleep = syrthio / cwympo i gysgu
- endormi = asleep = yn cysgu / ynghwsg
- à moitié endormi = half asleep = yn hanner cysgu
- la roche = rock (substance) = craig
- le roc = rock (hard, solid) = craig (galed)
- le rocher = boulder / rock = clogfaen / craig
- filtre = filter = ffilter, hidl
- chargeur (de piles) = (battery) charger = gwefrwr (batri)
- le public = audience (cinema, theatre) = cynulleidfa
- l’audience, les auditeurs = (radio) audience, listeners = gwrandawyr
- les téléspectateurs = (TV) audience = cynulleidfa (teledu)
- le spectateur = member of the audience, spectator, onlooker
- l’icône (f) = icon = eicon
- l’éditeur (m) = publisher (company) = cyhoeddwr
- la maison d’édition = publishing house = cwmni cyhoeddi
- le nombril = navel = botwm bol, bogail
- le nombrilisme = navel-gazing, omphaloskepsis = bogailsyllu
- il pense qu’il est le nombril du monde = he thinks the world revolves around him – (dw i ddim yn siŵr sut i ddweud hyn yn Gymraeg)
Neithiwr yn y Vaynol Arms yn Nant Peris fel rhan o Ffair Nant, mi wnaeth y Clwb Uke Bangor perfformio yn gyhoeddus am y tro cyntaf. Mi wnaethon ni chwarae cymysgedd o ganeuon yn gynnwys Country Roads, House of the Rising Sun, Dark Moon Rising, Cockles & Mussels, Go West, I Wanna Be Like You, ayyb. Yn Go West mi waethon ni canu North Wales yn lle Go West, ac roedd y cynulleidfa yn hoffi hyn, ac fel encôr mi wnaethon ni canu Delilah unwaith eto. Ro’n ni’n argraffu y trefnyddion ac mi wnaethon nhw ein gwahodd ni dod yn ôl i’r ffair y flwyddyn nesaf.
Last night in the Vaynol Arms in Nant Peris as part of the Nant Fair, the Bangor Uke Club performed in public for the first time. We played a mixture of songs, including Country Roads, House of the Rising Sun, Dark Moon Rising, Cockles & Mussels, Go West, I Wanna Be Like You, and so on. In Go West we replaced Go West with North Wales, which went down well with the audience, and we sang Delilah again as an encore. The organisers were impressed and have invited us back for the fair next year.
- les boule Quiès = earplugs (to keep out noise) = plygia clust
- les protège-tympans = earplugs (to keep out water) = plygia clust
- le tympan = eardrum / tympanum = pilen y glust / drwm clust
- le bouffon / le fou du roi = jester = cellweiriwr
- le plaisantin / blageur = joker = cellweiriwr
- farceur = practical joker
- emballer / faire (la valise) = to pack = pacio
- deballer / défaire = to unpack = dadbacio
- l’avantage unique / l’argument clé de vente (ACV) = unique selling point (USP) = pwynt gwerthu unigryw
- le portail = gate = gât / porth / llidiart
- la critique = review (of book, film) = adolygiad
- le cours = lesson, course = gwers / cwrs
- faire un stage = to do/go on a (training) course = gwneud cwrs (hyfforddiant)
- le petit bâtiment préfabriqué = Portakabin
- aiguisser / affûter = to sharpen (knife) = hogi / awchlymu / minio
- tailler = to sharpen (pencil) = hogi / awchlymu/ minio
- le poignet = wrist = arddwrn
- la ronce = bramble = miaren
- la ronceraie = bramble patch
- la mûre = blackberry = mwyaren
- la cardère = teasel = cribau’r-pannwr gwyllt
- carder = to card (wool) = cardio
- la moisissure / les champignons = mould = lwydni
- la Tamise = (River) Thames = Tafwys
- tamiser = to sieve, sift = gogru / rhidyllu / rhidyllio
- lumière tamisée = subdued lighting = golau isel
- bouchon (m) / embouteillage (m) = traffic jam = tagfa drafnidiaeth (f)
- descendre en rappel = to abseil = abseilio
- rebondir = to bounce = sboncio / bowndio / tampio
- rebond (m) = bounce = sbonc / bownd
- être refusé = to bounce (a cheque) = gwrthod
- videur = bouncer = dryswr
- squelette (m) = skeleton = (y)sgerbwd / esgyrn sychion
- être aigri / en voulour à tout le monde = to have a chip on one’s shoulder = sglodyn ar dy ysgwydd
- asticoter = to wind up (annoy, provoke) = pryfocio, cythruddo
- fermer = to wind up (a company) = dirwyn i ben
- faire marcher qn = to pull sb’s leg (tease) = tynnu coes rhywun
- la (future/jeune) mariée = bride = priodferch
- le marié = (bride)groom = priodfab
- se casser le col du fémur = to break one’s hip = torri clun
- directeur (-trice) = warden (institution) = warden
- contractuel (le) = traffic warden = warden traffig
- barboter / faire trempette = to paddle (in water) = padlo / rhodli
- pagayer = to paddle (boat/canoe) = padlo
- (faire la) nage du chien = (to do the) doggy paddle = padlo ci
- mégalithe (m) = megalith = megalith / maen mawr
- menhir (m) = standing stone = maen hir
- dolmen (m) = dolmen = dolmen / cromlech
- tombe (f) tombeau (m) = tomb = bedd
- faire dévier de son sujet / distraire / dérouter = to sidetrack = gwrthdynnu / troi o’r neilltu
- s’écarter de son sujet = to get sidetracked
- en liquide = in cash = ym mhres / yn arian parod
- payer comptant = to pay cash = talu drwy/ag arian parod
- petite caisse = petty cash = arian pitw/mân
- argent liquide = ready cash = arian/pres parod
- monnaie (f) = change = newid (?)
- guérir = to cure (illness, problem, habit) = iacháu / gwella
- remède (m) = a cure = iachâd / gwellhad
- agent secret = secret agent = asiant cudd
- sous contrôle = under control = dan rheolaeth
- c’est une honte! = it’s a disgrace! = mae’n waradwydd!
- grange (f) = barn = ysgubor
- injection (f) piqûre (f) = injection = pigiad
I came up with this song this week while contemplating the phrase ‘my hovercraft is full of eels‘, as you do, and thinking what other things might be filled with animals. That phrase doesn’t feature in the song, but there are plenty of other similarly useful phrases in it.
The tune came to me as I was writing it, and I later discovered that it was similar to the tune to the song ‘Give me the bus fare to Laxey‘, which I heard for the first time on Sunday in Ramsey, and probably to other songs. I wrote quite a bit of if while in Laxey and waiting for a bus to Ramsey.
The song is about those who cause chaos wherever they go. I haven’t identified any particular people, but you probably know one or two like that, or maybe you’re one of them.
Chaos
The attic is overflowing with aardvarks
The bath is brimful of baboons
The curtains are covered in custard
And mustard drips from all the spoons
The table is teaming with turnips
And the potatoes are eyeing the peas
The cushions are crammed with creamcrackers
And the cat’s eaten all of the cheese.
There are dogs playing poker in the pantry
And smoking fine Cuban cigars
As soon as they run out of money
They’ll be racing around in toy cars
The sink is swimming with penguins
And the fridge is flowing with fudge
There are ferrets fooling round in the cellar
And the carpets have all turned to sludge
I should have learnt my lesson
I should never have left them alone
I only popped out for ten minutes
And look what they’ve done to my home
Wherever they’ve been there is chaos
And wherever they are there is more
I only popped out for ten minutes
And now I can’t get through the door.
Here’s a recording:
When I’ve worked out the chords, I’ll record it with accompaniment.
- faire une entrée (remarquée) = to make a (big) entrance = gwneud mynedfa (fawr)
- à feuilles persistantes = evergreen = bythwyrdd
- le moineau = sparrow = aderyn y to
- la mouette = seagull = gwylan
- la mésange bleue = blue tit = titw tomas las
- avoir un mouvement de recul / reculer = to cringe = ymgreinio
- ça me donne envie de rentrer sous terre = it makes me cringe (with embarrassment)
- ça me hérisse = it makes me cringe (with disgust)
- les cacahuètes = peanuts = cnau daear
- les petits oignons au vinaigre = pickled onions = nionod/winwns wedi’u piclo
- les oeufs marinés = pickled eggs = wyau wedi’u piclo