| Author |
Message |
    
Jacki
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 02:17 am: | 
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Could someone please help me with the correct spelling and pronunciation for blowing smoke, meaning being boastful or not too believible? As in "He was just blowing smoke." |
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Maidhc Ó G.
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 11:27 am: |
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Ní raibh sé ach a sceitheadh.
He was just - blowing, telling a tale,etc.
Nee rah shay uch* uh shkeh-hoo*
(ch*) like the German word 'ach'.
(hoo*) like 'who'.
-Maidhc. |
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Phil
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 01:13 pm: |
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What's with the 'a'? Should it be 'ag'? (I'm not being sarcastic)
-Phil |
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Maidhc Ó G.
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 03:27 pm: |
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Yep, your right. And the verb tense is wrong too. It should be "Bhí sé ach ag sceitheadh."
Vee shay uch* uh shkeh-hoo*.
What I wrote above means,"He WASN'T just blowing, telling a tale, etc."
-Maidhc. |
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Aonghus
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 05:05 pm: |
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Maidhc
Ní raibh sé ach ag sceitheadh is grammatically correct!
It translates as "He was only spouting"
If you left out the "ach" then it would mean he wasn't.
Not sure about the idiom, though. But I can't think of a better one off hand. |
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Jacki
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 05:21 pm: |
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Thank you both very much. |
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Maidhc Ó G.
| | Posted on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 03:52 pm: |
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Ah! I see it now! He wasn't, but just spouting. Cool. Go raibh maith agat, a Aonghuis. |
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Phil
| | Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 09:14 am: |
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think of that "but" as meaning "anything but" or "anything except"
Ní raibh sé ach ag sceitheadh
He wasn't but blowing smoke
He wasn't anything but blowing smoke
== "He was only blowing smoke" or "He was just blowing smoke"
Ní maith leis ach milseáin
He only like sweets
Ní imíonn sé chuigh an Spáinn ach sa samhradh.
He only goes off to Spain in the Summer.
-Phil |
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Antóin
| | Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 12:40 pm: |
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Some other variations:-
Ag bladhmaireacht.
Ag gaotaireacht.
Ag bromaireacht. |
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