| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| se marrer (bien) | to have a good laugh | cael hen hwyl / cael hwyl a hanner | |
| se marrer comme un bossu | to laugh out loud | chwerthin lond bol/yn foliog/yn braf | dic’hargadennoù |
| on s’est bien marrés | we had a good laugh | mi gawson ni hen hwyl | |
| en avoir marre de | to be tired of / fed up with | wedi hen flino | bout skuizh -faezh |
| j’en ai marre | I’m fed up | dw i wedi hen flino | Me ‘zo skuizh |
| c’est marre ! | that’s it! enough already! | dyna ddigon! | trawalc’h ! |
| la malaria; le paludisme | malaria | malariam; y crydm | malaria; kleñved ar paludoù |
| chalereux | warm (greeting; applause; person) | brwd; twym; twymgalon; cynnes | taer; tomm; hegarat |
| charrier qn | to have sb on; to be kidding | twyllo | ober an hegig g’ ub; monet (mont) er maez eus ar park |
| railler; taquiner | to make fun of sb | gwneud hwyl/sbort am ben rhywun; chwerthin am ben rhywun | godisal; nodal; tatinat; ober an hegig; risignat |
| le bouc | billygoat | bwch gafr | bo(u)c’h |
| le chien de soleil; l’œil de bouc | sun dog | hwyl ffug; ci hwyl (?) |
Sun dogs, billygoat’s eyes and halos
The other day I discovered the wonderful word sun dog, which refers to coloured patches of light that appear beside the sun at certain times, particularly when the sun is low in the sky. The scientific name for this phenomenon is a parhelion, from the παρήλιον (parēlion – beside the sun); from παρά (para – beside), and ἥλιος (helios – sun) [source].
In French sun dogs are known as parhélie, faux soleil (“fake sun”), soleil double (“double sun”), œil de bouc (“billygoat’s eye) or chien du soleil (“sun dog). In other languages their names are mainly based on the Greek, or some variation on fake sun.
There are also such things as moon dogs, mock moons or paraselenes, which are patches of light that appear beside the moon, though they are rarer than sun dogs, difficult to see, and only appear when the moon is very bright and full or nearly full. [source].
The friend who told me about sun dogs was using it to describe a halo around the moon or lunar halo, which, like sun and moon dogs, is a result of the refraction of light through ice crystal in cirrostratus clouds high in the upper troposphere [source]. On the night when we were talking about sun dogs the moon was only half full, so I don’t think there were any moon dogs about, but there definitely was a halo around the moon.
Snails and corner shops
I have been learning Dutch for just over a week now and am enjoying it and finding it interesting. I can guess the meanings of many of the words I encounter as they are similar to German and/or English, but some are completely different. For example, I just learnt that shop is (de) winkel /ˈʋɪŋkəl/, and that shopping is (het) winkelen, which have no similarities to shop or shopping in English, or to their equivalents in German – Geschäft/Laden and einkaufen.
According to Wiktionary, winkel meant corner in Middle Dutch and Old Dutch, and comes from the Proto-Germanic word *winkilaz (corner, nook), from the Proto-Indo-European *weng- (to bend, bow, arch, curve) [source].
Winkel is apparently cognate with German Winkel (corner), and the Old English wincel (nook, corner), which is found in the word periwinkle (a type of sea snail). The use of winkel for shop is apparently derived from the meaning “corner in which merchandise is stalled”.
Related words include:
- ijzerwinkel, ijzerwarenwinkel = hardware store (“iron (wares) shop”)
- platenwinkel = record shop/store
- webwinkel = online shop/store
- winkelen = to shop; to go shopping – also boodschappen; het boodschappen doen
- winkelcentrum = shopping centre / mall
- winkelwagen = shopping trolley / cart
- winkeltas = shopping bag
- winkelassistent = shop assistant, personal shopper, sales clerk
- winkelier = shopkeeper, storekeeper, retailer
– winkelhaak = try square; carpenter’s square
Language quiz
Here’s a recording in a mystery language.
Can you identify the language, and do you know where it’s spoken?
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le tableau noir | blackboard | bwrdd du | taolenn zu |
| le panneau d’affichage | noticeboard | hysbysfwrdd; arwyddfwrdd; bwrdd arwyddion | planell afichañ |
| le marron (d’inde) | conker / horse chestnut | concyr; cneuen gobl(i)o; coblyn | kistin |
| le marronier (d’inde) | horse chestnut tree | castanwydden y meirch; marchgastanwydden | gwez kistin |
| la châtaigne | (sweet) chestnut | castan; cneuen gastan; pibgneuen | kistin |
| la tombola | raffle | raffl; lotri | c’hoari sac’h |
| le billet de tombola | raffle ticket | ticed/tocyn raffl/lotri | bilhed c’hoari sac’h |
| S.O.S. Amitié | The Samaritans | Y Samariaid | |
| être d’astreinte; être de garde; être en disponibilité; être de permanence | to be on-call | bod ar alw (?) | |
| démodé | old fashioned (things) | hen ffasiwn; henaidd | maez a c’hiz; giz kozh |
| vieux jeu | old fashioned (people) | hen ffasiwn; henaidd | mod kozh |
| le faîte | ridge | trum; crib; cefn | hedell |
Quixotic
The word quixotic (/kwɪkˈsɒtɪk/) has come up a number of times in books I’ve been reading recently, and though I sort know what it means, I wasn’t sure, so I thought I’d find out.
According to the QED, quixotic means:
– Of an action, attribute, idea, etc.: characteristic of or appropriate to Don Quixote; demonstrating or motivated by exaggerated notions of chivalry and romanticism; naively idealistic; unrealistic, impracticable; (also) unpredictable, capricious, whimsical.
– Of a person: resembling Don Quixote; visionary; enthusiastically chivalrous or romantic; naively idealistic; impractical, capricious.
It comes from Don Quixote (Don Quijote in Spanish), the hero of Cervantes’ story by the same name, which was published in 1605 and 1615. The word quijote comes from name of a piece of armour, the quixote or cuisse, which protects the thighs.
Is this word used in other languages?
If not, are there any words with a similar meaning?
Nederlands
I’ve decided to learn Dutch this month and want to see how much I can learn in a month. I haven’t learnt any Dutch before, but can understand it a bit as I speak English and German. I’m using online resources, including courses on Babbel and any others I can find. I will also be listening to Dutch radio and maybe watching some Dutch TV, and maybe learning some Dutch songs. A friend is also learning Dutch this month, so I thought I’d give it a try, and we have a Dutch friend we can practise with.
Any suggestions of online Dutch resources would be appreciated.
Language quiz
Here’s a recording in a mystery language.
Can you identify the language, and do you know where it’s spoken?
As flat as …
This week in the French conversation group one of the things that came up was the expression “as flat as a pancake” or the slightly ruder version, “as flat as a witch’s tit”. This was being used to describe the flatness of beer. The only equivalent we could find in French was “completement plat” (completely flat), though I’ve since found a couple of others: “plat comme une limande” (‘flat like a dab*’) [source], and “plat comme une lamelle” (‘flat like a sliver/thin slice’) [source].
Other variations of the English phrases I’ve found include “as flat as a board”, “as flat as an ironing board” and “as flat as a trencher”.
What other flat things might appear in this expression?
Are there interesting equivalents of this phrase in other languages?
*Dab = a species of small flat-fish, Pleuronectes limanda, similar to a flounder [source]
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| les chaussures (f) de marche | walking boots | esgidiau cerdded; esgidiau cryfion | boteier kerzh |
| passer à côté de la question | to miss the point | camddeall; methu’r pwynt/ergyd | |
| rater/louper | to miss (train/bus/target) | colli | c’hwitañ |
| completement plat | flat as a pancake | mor wastad â thalcen iâr; mor llyfn â charreg y drws; llyfn fel bwrdd | |
| éventée | flat (beer) | fflat; diflas; merfaidd; marw | avelet |
| bémol | flat (note) | meddalnod | bouc’h |
| dièse | sharp (note) | llonnod | lemm |
| en moyen | on average | ar gyfartaledd |