English As We Speak It in Ireland Part 52

Stag; a potato rendered worthless or bad by frost or decay.

Stag; a cold-hearted unfeeling selfish woman.

Stag; an informer, who turns round and betrays his comrades:--'The two worst informers against a private [pottheen] distiller, barring a _stag_, are a smoke by day and a fire by night.' (Carleton in 'Ir. Pen.

Journ.') 'Do you think me a _stag_, that I'd inform on you.' (Ibid.)

Staggeen [the _t_ sounded like _th_ in _thank_], a worn-out worthless old horse.

Stand to or by a person, to act as his friend; to stand _for_ an infant, to be his sponsor in baptism. The people hardly ever say, 'I'm his G.o.dfather,' but 'I stood for him.'

Stare; the usual name for a starling (bird) in Ireland.

Station. The celebration of Ma.s.s with confessions and Holy Communion in a private house by the parish priest or one of his curates, for the convenience of the family and their neighbours, to enable them the more easily to receive the sacraments. Latterly the custom has been falling into disuse.

Staukan-vorraga [_t_ sounded like _th_ in _thorn_], a small high rick of turf in a market from which portions were continually sold away and as continually replaced: so that the _sthauca_ stood always in the people's way. Applied also to a big awkward fellow always visiting when he's not wanted, and {335} always in the way. (John Davis White, of Clonmel.) Irish _staca 'n mharga_ [sthaucan-vorraga], the 'market stake or stack.'

Stelk or stallk; mashed potatoes mixed with beans or chopped vegetables. (North.)

Sthallk; a fit of sulk in a horse--or in a child. (Munster.) Irish _stailc_, same sound and meaning.

Sthoakagh; a big idle wandering vagabond fellow. (South.) Irish _stocach_, same sound and meaning.

Sthowl; a jet or splash of water or of any liquid. (South.) Irish _steall_, same sound and meaning.

Stim or stime; a very small quant.i.ty, an _iota_, an atom, a particle:--'You'll never have a stim of sense' ('Knocknagow'): 'I couldn't see a stim in the darkness.'

Stook; a shock of corn, generally containing twelve sheaves. (General.) Irish _stuaic_, same sound and meaning, with several other meanings.

Stoon; a fit, the worst of a fit: same as English _stound_: a sting of pain:--'Well Bridget how is the toothache?' 'Ah well sir the stoon is off.' (De Vismes Kane: Ulster.)

Store pig; a pig nearly full grown, almost ready to be fattened.

(Munster.)

Str. Most of the following words beginning with _str_ are derived from Irish words beginning with _sr_. For as this combination _sr_ does not exist in English, when an Irish word with this beginning is borrowed into English, a _t_ is always inserted between the _s_ and _r_ to bring it into conformity with English usage and to render it more easily p.r.o.nounced by English-speaking tongues. See this subject discussed in 'Irish Names of Places,' {336} vol. I., p. 60. Moreover the _t_ in _str_ is almost always sounded the same as _th_ in _think_, _thank_.

Straar or sthraar [to rhyme with _star_]; the rough straddle which supports the back band of a horse's harness--coming between the horse's back and the band. (Derry.) The old Irish word _srathar_ [same sound], a straddle, a pack-saddle.

Straddy; a street-walker, an idle person always sauntering along the streets. There is a fine Irish air named 'The Straddy' in my 'Old Irish Music and Songs,' p. 310. From Irish _sraid_, a street.

Strahane, strahaun, _struhane_; a very small stream like a mill stream or an artificial stream to a pottheen still. Irish _sruth_ [sruh]

stream, with dim.

Strammel; a big tall bony fellow. (Limerick.)

Strap; a bold forward girl or woman; the word often conveys a sense slightly leaning towards lightness of character.

Strath; a term used in many parts of Ireland to denote the level watery meadow-land along a river. Irish _srath_.

Stravage [to rhyme with _plague_]; to roam about idly:--'He is always _stravaging_ the streets.' In Ulster it is made _stavage_.

Streel; a very common word all through Ireland to denote a lazy untidy woman--a slattern: often made _streeloge_ in Connaught, the same word with the diminutive. As a verb, _streel_ is used in the sense of to drag along in an untidy way:--'Her dress was streeling in the mud.'

Irish _sril_ [sreel], same meanings.

Streel is sometimes applied to an untidy slovenly-looking man too, as I once heard it {337} applied under odd circ.u.mstances when I was very young. Bartholomew Power was long and lanky, with his clothes hanging loose on him. On the morning when he and his newly-married wife--whom I knew well, and who was then no chicken--were setting out for his home, I walked a bit of the way with the happy bride to take leave of her.

Just when we were about to part, she turned and said to me--these were her very words--'Well Mr. Joyce, you know the number of nice young men I came across in my day (naming half a dozen of them), and,' said she--nodding towards the bride-groom, who was walking by the car a few perches in front--'isn't it a heart-scald that at the end of all I have now to walk off with that streel of a devil.'

Strickle; a scythe-sharpener covered with emery, (Simmons: Armagh.)

Strig; the _strippings_ or milk that comes last from a cow. (Morris: South Monaghan.)

Striffin; the thin pellicle or skin on the inside of an egg-sh.e.l.l.

(Ulster.)

Strippings; the same as strig, the last of the milk that comes from the cow at milking--always the richest. Often called in Munster _sniug_.

Stroansha; a big idle lazy lump of a girl, always gadding about. Irish _stroinse_, same sound and meaning.

Strock'ara [accent on _strock-_]; a very hard-working man. (Munster.) Irish _stracaire_, same sound and meaning, with several other meanings.

Strong; well in health, without any reference to muscular strength.

'How is your mother these times?' 'She's very strong now thank G.o.d.'

{338}

Strong farmer; a very well-to-do prosperous farmer, with a large farm and much cattle. In contradistinction to a 'small farmer.'

Stroup or stroop; the spout of a kettle or teapot or the lip of a jug.

(Ulster.)

Strunt; to sulk. (Simmons: Armagh.) Same as _sthallk_ for the South.

Stum; a sulky silent person. (Antrim and Down.)

Stumpy; a kind of coa.r.s.e heavy cake made from grated potatoes from which the starch has been squeezed out: also called muddly. (Munster.)

Sturk, stirk, sterk; a heifer or bullock about two years old: a pig three or four months old. Often applied to a stout low-sized boy or girl. Irish _storc_.

Sugan; a straw or hay rope: same as soogan.

Sugeen; water in which oatmeal has been steeped: often drunk by workmen on a hot day in place of plain water. (Roscommon.) From Ir. _sugh_, juice.

Sulter; great heat [of a day]: a word formed from _sultry_:--'There's great _sulther_ to-day.'

Summachaun; a soft innocent child. (Munster.) Irish _somachan_, same sound and meaning. In Connaught it means a big ignorant puffed up b.o.o.by of a fellow.

Sup; one mouthful of liquid: a small quant.i.ty drunk at one time. This is English:--'I took a small sup of rum.' ('Robinson Crusoe.') 'We all take a sup in our turn.' (Irish Folk Song.)

Sure; one of our commonest opening words for a sentence: you will hear it perpetually among gentle and simple: 'Don't forget to lock up the fowls.' 'Sure I did that an hour ago.' 'Sure {339} you won't forget to call here on your way back?' 'James, sure I sold my cows.'

Swan-skin; the thin finely-woven flannel bought in shops; so called to distinguish it from the coa.r.s.e heavy home-made flannel. (Limerick.)