English As We Speak It in Ireland Part 42

Kimmeen; a sly deceitful trick; kimmeens or kymeens, small crooked ways:--'Sure you're not equal to the _kimmeens_ of such complete deceivers at all at all.' (Sam Lover in Ir. Pen. Mag.) Irish _com_, crooked; diminutive _cuimin_ [kimmeen].

Kimmel-a-vauleen; uproarious fun. Irish _cimel-a'-mhailin_, literally 'rub-the-bag.' There is a fine Irish jig with this name. (South.)

Kink; a knot or short twist in a cord.

Kink; a fit of coughing or laughing: 'they were in kinks of laughing.'

Hence _chincough_, for whooping-cough, i.e. _kink_-cough. I know a holy well that has the reputation of curing whooping-cough, and hence called the 'Kink-well.'

Kinleen or keenleen, or kine-leen; a single straw or corn stem.

(South.) Irish _caoinlin_, same sound.

Kinleen-roe; an icicle: the same word as last with the addition of _reo_ [roe], frost: 'frost-stem.' {281}

Kinnatt', [1st syll. very short; accent on 2nd syll.: to rhyme with _cat_]; an impertinent conceited impudent little puppy.

Kippen or kippeen; any little bit of stick: often used as a sort of pet name for a formidable cudgel or s.h.i.+llelah for fighting. Irish _cip_ [kip], a stake or stock, with the diminutive.

Kish; a large square basket made of wattles and wickerwork used for measuring turf or for holding turf on a cart. Sometimes (South) called a _kishaun_. Irish _cis_ or _cisean_, same sounds and meanings: also called _kis.h.a.gh_.

Kishtha; a treasure: very common in Connaught, where it is often understood to be hidden treasure in a fort under the care of a leprachaun. Irish _ciste_, same sound and meaning.

Kitchen; any condiment or relish eaten with the plain food of a meal, such as b.u.t.ter, dripping, &c. A very common saying in Tyrone against any tiresome repet.i.tion is:--'b.u.t.ter to b.u.t.ter is no kitchen.' As a verb; to use sparingly, to economise:--'Now kitchen that bit of bacon for you have no more.'

Kitthoge or kitthagh; a left-handed person. Understood through all Ireland. Irish _ciotog_, _ciotach_, same sounds and meaning.

Kitterdy; a simpleton, a fool. (Ulster.)

Knauvshauling [the _k_ sounded distinctly]; grumbling, scolding, muttering complaints. (Limerick.) From Irish _cnamh_ [knauv: _k_ sounded], a bone, the jawbone. The underlying idea is the same as when we speak of a person giving _jaw_. See Jaw.

'Knocknagow ': see Kickham.

Kybosh; some sort of difficulty or 'fix':--'He put the kybosh on him: he defeated him.' (Moran: Carlow.) {282}

Kyraun, keeraun; a small bit broken off from a sod of turf. Irish _caor_, or with the diminutive, _caoran_, same sound and meaning.

Laaban; a rotten sterile egg (Morris: for South Monaghan): same as _Glugger_, which see. Irish _lab_ or _laib_, mire, dirt, with diminutive.

Lad; a mischievous tricky fellow:--'There's no standing them lads.'

(Gerald Griffin.)

Lagheryman or Logheryman. (Ulster.) Same as Leprachaun, which see.

Lambaisting; a sound beating. Quite common in Munster.

Langel; to tie the fore and the hind leg of a cow or goat with a spancel or fetter to prevent it going over fences. (Ulster.) Irish _langal_, same sound and meaning.

Lapc.o.c.k; an armful or roll of gra.s.s laid down on the sward to dry for hay. (Ulster.)

Lark-heeled; applied to a person having long sharp heels. See Saulavotcheer.

Larrup; to wallop, to beat soundly. (Donegal and South.)

Las.h.i.+ngs, plenty: las.h.i.+ngs and leavings, plenty and to spare: specially applied to food at meals. (General.)

La.s.sog, a blaze of light. (Morris: South Monaghan.) From Irish _las_, light, with the diminutive.

Lauchy; applied to a person in the sense of pleasant, good-natured, lovable. Irish _lachaiidhe_, same sound and sense. (Banim: general in the South.) 'He's a _lauchy_ boy.'

Laudy-daw; a pretentious fellow that sets up to be a great swell.

(Moran: Carlow; and South.) {283}

Launa-vaula; full and plenty:--There was launa-vaula at the dinner.

Irish _lan-a-mhala_ (same sound), 'full bags.'

Lazy man's load. A lazy man takes too many things in one load to save the trouble of going twice, and thereby often lets them fall and breaks them.

Learn is used for _teach_ all over Ireland, but more in Ulster than elsewhere. Don't forget to 'larn the little girl her catechiz.' (Seumas Mac Ma.n.u.s.) An old English usage: but dead and gone in England now.

Leather; to beat:--'I gave him a good leathering,' i.e., a beating, a thras.h.i.+ng. This is not derived, as might be supposed, from the English word _leather_ (tanned skin), but from Irish, in which it is of very old standing:--_Letrad_ (modern _leadradh_), cutting, hacking, lacerating: also a champion fighter, a warrior, a _leatherer_. (Corm.

Gloss.--9th cent.) Used all through Ireland.

Leather-wing; a bat. (South.)

Lee, the Very Rev. Patrick, V. F., of Kilfinane, 148.

Lebbidha; an awkward, blundering, half-fool of a fellow. (South.) Irish _leibide_, same sound and meaning.

Leg bail; a person gives (or takes) _leg bail_ when he runs away, absconds. (General.)

Lend; loan. Ned came 'for the _lend_ of the ould mare.' ('Knocknagow.') Often used in the following way:--'Come and lend a hand,' i.e., give some help. 'Our shooting party comes off to-morrow: will you _lend_ your gun': an invitation to join the party. (Kinahan.) {284}

Leprachaun; a sort of fairy, called by several names in different parts of Ireland:--luricaun, cluricaun, lurragadaun, loghryman, luprachaun.

This last is the nearest to the Gaelic original, all the preceding anglicised forms being derived from it. Luprachaun itself is derived by a metathesis from Irish _luchorpan_, from _lu_, little, and _corpan_, the dim. of _corp_, a body:--'weeny little body.' The reader will understand all about this merry little chap from the following short note and song written by me and extracted from my 'Ancient Irish Music'

(in which the air also will be found). The leprachaun is a very tricky little fellow, usually dressed in a green coat, red cap, and knee-breeches, and silver shoe-buckles, whom you may sometimes see in the shades of evening, or by moonlight, under a bush; and he is generally making or mending a shoe: moreover, like almost all fairies, he would give the world for _pottheen_. If you catch him and hold him, he will, after a little threatening, show you where treasure is hid, or give you a purse in which you will always find money. But if you once take your eyes off him, he is gone in an instant; and he is very ingenious in devising tricks to induce you to look round. It is very hard to catch a leprachaun, and still harder to hold him. I never heard of any man who succeeded in getting treasure from him, except one, a lucky young fellow named MacCarthy, who, according to the peasantry, built the castle of Carrigadrohid near Macroom in Cork with the money.

Every Irishman understands well the terms _cruiskeen_ and _mountain dew_, some indeed a little too well; but {285} for the benefit of the rest of the world, I think it better to state that a _cruiskeen_ is a small jar, and that _mountain dew_ is _pottheen_ or illicit whiskey.

In a shady nook one moonlight night, A leprachaun I spied; With scarlet cap and coat of green; A cruiskeen by his side.

'Twas tick tack tick, his hammer went, Upon a weeny shoe; And I laughed to think of a purse of gold; But the fairy was laughing too.

With tip-toe step and beating heart, Quite softly I drew nigh: There was mischief in his merry face;-- A twinkle in his eye.

He hammered and sang with tiny voice, And drank his mountain dew: And I laughed to think he was caught at last:-- But the fairy was laughing too.

As quick as thought I seized the elf; 'Your fairy purse!' I cried; 'The purse!' he said--''tis in her hand-- 'That lady at your side!'

I turned to look: the elf was off!

Then what was I to do?

O, I laughed to think what a fool I'd been; And the fairy was laughing too.