Go mbeannaí Dia daoibh agus bhur gcéad fáilte isteach arís eile chuig The Bluffer’s Guide to Irish.
Well, of those of you how know the Bluffer’s globe-trotting ways, you’ll be unsurprised to hear he is just back from two very different holidays - and that he will use the opportunity to teach you all about the clothes we wear.
Éadaí are clothes, and caith is the word for wear.
Now in Málaga, the Bluffer was wearing bríste gairide - shorts and a t-léine - yep, a T-shirt and cuaráin - sandals despite it being mid-November!
Add a pair of shades and he could have appeared in an extra in an episode of Miami Vice.
Had there been a female in the company, she could have worn the same as the Bluffer or a gúna samhraidh - a summer dress, blús - a blouse or the ubiquitous wee tap, sorry, top.
At night as the temperature dropped, its was time to change into briste fada - long trousers, léine - a shirt but no, no geansaí - jumper sitting jauntily over the shoulders.
Shoes are bróga but a pair of shoes is péire bróg.
Sometimes if the occasion demanded it the Bluffer would wear a culaith - a suit, a shirt and a carabhat - a tie while the ladies would also wear a suit a sciorta - a skirt or the legendary gúna beag dubh - the little black dress with matching mála láimhe - handbag.
As designer Karl Lagerfeld has said: “One is never over-dressed or under-dressed with a Little Black Dress.”
The Bluffer wouldn’t know, of course.
Other accessories could be fáinní cluaise - ear rings, and a muince - a necklace.
So that’s the beautiful weather of Málaga sorted out.
The next away trip was to Mannheim in Germany and a completely different wardrobe. Cad é a bhí tú á chaitheamh? - What were you wearing? is a question you night hear amongst ladies who lunch.
Well, in Mannheim the weather was pure Baltic. From the sunshine of Spain to the freezing ceobhrán - light drizzle of Germany. It was time for na teirmigh - thermal underwear, cóta fearthainne - a rain coat, háta olla - a wooly hat and scairf - a scarf. Any more clothing and the Bluffer could have been wearing a burka.
There are some items of clothes that there is no Irish for and hopefully never will be.
Mankini will never find its way into any Irish dictionary and neither will fluffy scrunchies.
The same goes for platform shoes, bandanas, ponchos and boob tubes.
Will we ever see bell bottoms again or winkle-pickers or tank tops? Probably yes, as fashion is cyclical and we all end up wearing what our parents wore at some stage of our sartorial development, whether it’s clothes or haircuts.
Anyway, despite the inclement weather, the Bluffer enjoyed his tale of four cities with Málaga being followed by trips Mannheim (via Frankfurt), to Strasbourg (a comfortable high speed train journey into France) and to Heidelberg which were all hugely enjoyable although Mannheim itself lacked the wow factor.
Time go plan the wardrobe for next year now.
CÚPLA FOCAL
éadaí(aydee) - clothes
bríste gairid(breeshta giridge) - shorts
t-léine(tee-laynye)- a T-shirt
cuaráin(cooaraan)- sandals
gúna samhraidh(goona saowree)- a summer dress
blús(blooss) - a blouse
briste fada(brishta fada) - long trousers
léine(laynye) - a shirt
geansaí(gyansee) - jumper
bróga(brawga) - shoes
péire bróg (payra brawg) - pair of shoes
culaith(culee) - suit
carabhat(carawat) - a tie
sciorta(skyirta) - a skirt
gúna beag dubh(goona big doo) - the little black dress
mála láimhe(maala lava) - handbag
fáinní cluaise(faanyee clooisha) - ear rings
muince(mwinka) - a necklace
Cad é a bhí tú á chaitheamh?cadge ay a vee too a khyhoo) - What were you wearing?
ceobhrán(kyaw-wraan) - light drizzle
teirmigh(charamee) - thermal underwear
cóta fearthainne(cawta farhinya) - a rain coat
háta olla(hata olla) - a woolly hat
scairf(scarf) - a scarf
