When I was a lad I learnt the expression "Tá tú chomh glic le francach caca-loca". Learnt it by ear, never saw it written, so the Irish I've put on it above is my best guess.

Have any of ye heard this one before, or some variant thereof? I've made "caca-loca" into a compound word, as otherwise the grammar there seems a bit dodgy. I've every so often taught it to my students who're looking for a mild retort, but I always have to preface it with proviso "I may not have this entirely right, but . . ."

GRMA roimh ré bhur smaointe.

quote:

Have any of ye heard this one before, or some variant thereof?

Deirtear "as crazy as a shithouse rat" fós in Appalachia. Níor chuala mé riamh ach "chomh glic le madadh rua" i nGaeilge.

An bhfuil an ceann seo agat?

Tá éisteacht na muice bradaí aige.

Tá a lán rudaí glice ag an Seabhac i seanfhocal na Mumhan, ach níl francadh ina measc.

Meas tú an cac-locha atá i gceist?

Scríobh Dennis:
Deirtear "as crazy as a shithouse rat" fós in Appalachia.

That last bit about the sort of rat was the translation I got at the time; I sanitised things a bit for this board. ;-)

An bhfuil an ceann seo agat?
Tá éisteacht na muice bradaí aige.

Níl, go raibh maith agat! Tá aithne agam ar cúpla daoine mar sin.

(Message edited by cionaodh on August 05, 2006)

Scríobh Aonghus:
Meas tú an cac-locha atá i gceist?

Chuala mé "caca" ag an am, agus is é an ginideach ar "cac" (agus tagann é tar éis an focal "francach").

Ach níl a fhios agam an fáth a thagann "loca"(enclosure) tar éis "caca".

A Chionaoidh,

Cad as don duine óna bhfuair tú an ciúta seo? Cén chanúint a bhí aige?

I'm wondering about the provenance or "chain of transmission" of this expression.

Maidir le "éisteacht na muice bradaí", is ó Mharion Gunn a fuair mise é.

Fuair mé é ó fear as Tiobraid Árainn. D'fhoghlaim sé a chuid Gaeilge sa bhaile nuair a bhí sé óg, ach bhí sé sna Stáit 10-15 bliain ag an am sin.

B'fhéidir...
Cocála = cocail = cheeky
(Níl mé an iarraidh an focal eile a scríobh ar fhaitíos go mbeidh míthuiscint anseo i Meiriceá)
agus b'fhéidir gur ag súgradh leis an bhfocal cocála a bhí siad nuair a dúirt siad cocálacha.
Nó b'fhéidir gur úsáid siad cocálacha in áit cocála i dTiobraid Árainn?

Well, he translated it for me pretty much like the title of this thread, except using a less family-friendly term for the outhouse.

I suppose it's possible he himself might've misunderstood something he'd been taught.

Bíonn focail mar sin an áitiúl uaireanta, agus is annamh iad le fáil i bhfoclóir.

Re. Ach níl a fhios agam an fáth a thagann "loca"(enclosure) tar éis "caca".
Cac an loca = cac a' loca?
B'fhéidir... go raibh siad ag caint faoi an áit ina raibh cac an loca? Ach bhí sé ró-fhada agus bhí siad ag tagairt ar francach i gcac a'loca, nó ins an áit ina raibh cac an loca, b'fhéidir?
Ach ní bheidh mé in ann mo lón a ithe anois.

This is a stretch, but....

francach an choca loctha = a rat of the enclosed (hay) cock

.i. coca loctha = cock/stack/rick/cruach atá isteach san iothlainn ("garraí cois an tí ina gcoinnítear cruacha féir agus stacaí arbhair") Nach mbeadh francach "ar mhuin na muice" in áit mar sin?

Yipes.... "istigh san iothlainn", cé go mbeadh "san iothlainn" níos fearr fós.