mar ea

Irish

FWOTD – 19 April 2018

Alternative forms

Etymology

Apparently contracted from mar bha ea (“as it were”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mˠaɾˠ ˈja/ (corresponding to the form mar dhea)
  • (Munster) IPA(key): /mˠɑɾˠ ˈjɛ/[1]

Phrase

mar ea

  1. used to express skepticism or doubt about the accuracy or veracity of a claim
    rí mar ea ― a pretended king
    — Lá breá atá ann inniu. —Tá mar ea!
    —It’s a fine day today. —The hell it is!
    Tá mar ea gabhar ar an mbóthar romham.
    There is what seems to be a goat on the road before me.
    • 1939, Peig Sayers, “Inghean an Cheannaidhe”, in Marie-Louise Sjoestedt, Description d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (Bibliothèque de l'École des Hautes Études; 270) (overall work in French), Paris: Librairie Honoré Champion, page 194:
      Bhí an aimsir caithte agus nuair a bhí an t-árthach chun cuain a fhágaint ní raibh an máta ábalta ar dhul ar bórd, mar bhí sé breóidhte, mar eadh.
      The time was up, and when the vessel was about to leave the harbor, the mate was not able to go aboard because he was ill, he claimed.

References

  1. ^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1938) Description d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Description of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ancienne Honoré Champion, page 189

Further reading

  • Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “mar”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 713; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
  • Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “mar ḋeaḋ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 717; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
  • Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “mar dhea”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.