Yesterday I discovered that the Welsh idiom, ar y gweill, which can be translated as ‘in the pipeline’, ‘on the way’, ‘in hand’ or ‘underway’ literally means “on the knitting needles”. It’s the plural of gweillen (knitting needle). To knit is gwau or gweu, and a knitter is gwëwr, gweuwr or gwëydd.
Here are some examples of how it is used (from MyMemory translated.net):
– Mae hynny ar y gweill = That has been set in place
– Mae cynlluniau ar y gweill = Plans are in the pipeline
– Mae’r paratoadau ar y gweill = Preparations for this are underway
– Mae’r trafodaethau hyn ar y gweill = These discussions are in hand
I don’t think I’ve come across any knitting-related idioms like this before, so it caught my attention. Do you know any knitting related idioms?
This is awesome! I might change the name of my “WIPs and Books” feature on Wednesdays! 🙂
I love idioms like this in language. They’re always so interesting to learn and put more personality into the language you’re learning. You also get a sort of taste for the culture when you see what their idioms directly translate to in English.