388 SKATE— STICKLEBACK 



Cho neo bhlasda ri sf^rait. 



As tasteless as a skate. A skate affords very fair feeding. 

 Two Gaelic sayings, apparently contradictory of each other, 

 are — 



Ma cheannaicheas tu iasg, ceannaich iasg sgait. 



If you buy fish, buy skate fish. 

 Ma tha iasg a dhith orm, cha 'n iasg learn sgait. 



If I desire fish, I do not consider skate fish. (See Nicolson's 

 note hereto.) As to the first of the above, if quantity or 

 weight in preference to quality be desired, the skate 

 stands high. 

 Tha mheoir an deigh na sgait. 



His fingers are after the skate. An indifferent piper's excuse 

 once. 



SMELT.— Dubh-bhreac; Smalag. 



Black-trout ; Cherry-of-Tay ; Pincher, portaferry chicken ; 

 Quid ; Sand-smelt, silver-sides, smout, spurling. 



Thought to mean " smooth " ; it is a general name for the 

 young of several kinds of fishes, salmon, coalfish, etc., etc. 



SOLE. — Bonnan (little) ; Corachshuil, corashuil ; Leabag or 

 liabag-chearr, leathagban. Irish, Anpac-car (am pac bac bacach 

 or pacach cearr). 



Bastard-saithe ; Carter, common dab ; Dab ; French sole ; 

 Greyback or fluke ; Kit ; Lantern, lemon, lemon-dab or sole, little 

 sole, lobster (young), long-fleuk ; Mary or merry-sole, megrim ; 

 Ox ; Pole-dab ; Queen-fish ; Red-back flounder, red sole ; Sail- 

 fluke, salt-water fluke, sand-fleuk sole or sucker, scald-fish, she-sole, 

 smear-dab (smooth), sole-fleuk ; Thickback, tongue (Suffolk), toron- 

 dab ; Variegated sole ; Whiff (fem.), white-sole; Yellow-dab. 



SPONGE.— Spong. 

 Mermaids' gloves or purse. 



SPRAT. — Bricein ; Garbhag ; Sardail, sardan, sairdeal, sgadan- 

 gearr ; sprodh, sproth. 



Garvie ; Picker ; Sprott (A. S.). 



Literally a sprout, from Teutonic sproat or sprut, the young 

 of any fish or thing, supposed chiefly of herring. 



STARFISH. — Crois-na-traghad, crosgag; Reult-iasg ; Solaslar. 

 Cross-fish, cross-fit ; Scoscie, sea-star, slob (North). 

 Very destructive to shellfish ; have generally five limbs or 

 rays, the sun starfish having from nine to thirteen. 



STICKLEBACK.— Biorag or bior-lodain ; Carran ; Gobhachan, 

 gobhlachan ; lasg-deilgneach ; Sronachaidh (sea), stangarra. 



Bandy, bainstickle, bamstickle, bane-prickle or stickle, banner. 



