Thursday 6 March 2008

ILUG 08 a guide to Irish Idiom for our non-irish guests Part 5

Ah now...gentle readers and potential ILUGers and ILUGettes , you may have thought the previous postings on the verbal insanity of us Irish was mildly amusing. I intend to turn the tables somewhat and try to refrain from making reference to pots, kettles and the fact that they are both black!

Consider the following statements :-

The farm used to produce produce.

The bandage was wound around the wound.

The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

[authors shudders]

Also there is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple,
Sweetmeats are sweets while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat, quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig and in what other language do people recite at a play and play a recital, ship by truck and send cargo by ship, and have noses that run and feet that smell?

[sigh]

;-) Since the rest of the English speaking world can make fast and free with the language is it so strange that the Irish just put their own spin on it?

Slaun
Steve

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