Euphemisms.—By giving diseases and other evils a good name, when speaking of them, the danger of bringing them upon oneself by his words is turned away. It will be remembered that for a similar reason the ancients called the Fairies Eumenides, and the Celt called the Fairies ‘good people.’ The smallpox was called ‘the good woman.’ Epilepsy ‘the outside disease.’
In telling a tale of any one being taken away by the Fairies, the ill-will of the ‘people’ was averted by prefixing the narrative with the words, “A blessing on their journeying and travelling! this is Friday and they will not hear us.”
When a person sneezes it is customary for the bystander to say “Thank you,” to which is sometimes added, “We will not take his name in vain.” Some say, “God be with you,” others, “God and Mary be with you,” and others, “St. Columba be with you.” By saying, “The hand of your father and grandfather be over you,” the Fairies are kept away. Any words would seem to have been deemed availing, and some of the phrases used were not choice. If the bystander should say, “Your brains the next time!” the person sneezing should answer, “The bowl of your head intercept them!”
When a child yawns, the nurse should say, “Your weariness and heaviness be on yonder grey stone!”
When the story of a house having taken fire is told, the narrative should be prefixed by saying, “St Mary’s well be in the top of every house! the cross of Christ be upon us!” This averts a similar calamity from the house in which the tale is told.
In some places old people are to be found who, when a person comes in with any tale of misfortune, of the death of one of the cattle, a neighbour’s house taking fire, etc., pull threads from their clothes and throw them in the fire, saying, “Out with the evil tale!” or, “To tell it to themselves.”
In speaking of the dead, it is proper to speak of them only in commendatory terms—de mortuis nihil nisi bonum. Hence moladh mairbh (Praise of the Dead) denotes faint praise, not always deserved. In speaking of the dead, old people always added, “His share of paradise be his” (chuid a fhlaitheanas da), or “His portion of mercy be his” (chuid a thròcair da). If their tale was not to the credit of the deceased or they were obliged to make any statement unfavourable to him, they said, “It is not to send it after him.”
Boat Language.—When in a boat at sea, sailing or fishing, it was forbidden to call things by the names by which they were known on land. The boat-hook should not be called croman, but a chliob; a knife, not sgian, but a ghiar (the sharp one); the baling dish, not taoman, but spùidseir; a seal, not ròn, but béisd mhaol (the bald beast); a fox, not sionnach, but madadh ruadh (the red dog); the stone for anchoring the boat was not clach, but cruaidh (hardness). This practice prevails much more on the east coast than on the west, where it may be said to be generally extinct. It is said to be carefully observed among the fishermen about the Cromarty Firth. It was deemed unlucky by east coast fishermen coming to Tiree (as several boats used to do annually to prosecute the cod and ling fishing), to speak in a boat of a minister or a rat. Everywhere it was deemed unlucky among seafaring men to whistle in case a storm should arise. In Tiree, Heynish Hill (the highest in the island) was known at sea as a Bhraonach; Hogh Hill (the next highest) as Bheinn Bhearnach no Sgoillte (the Notched or Cloven Hill), and a species of whale as cas na poite (the leg of a pot). It should not be said “He was drowned” (bhàthadh e) but “he journeyed” (shiubhail e); not “tie a rope” (ceangail ròp), but “make it” (dean e). In the north it was held that an otter, while in its den, should not be called béisd du (the black beast, its common name), but Carnag. It would otherwise be impossible for the terriers to drive it from its refuge.
Fresh Meat.—When fresh meat of the year’s growth is tasted for the first time, a person should say,