sìos

adv Down, downwards (from one) —down towards one is a-nuas. 2 (shìos) Resting below. In W. of Ross shìos and sìos naturally mean west and westward respectively, that is, down the course of the streams and valleys and shuas and suas, east and eastward. Yet, shìos rathad Chataibh, down the way of Sutherland, is the usual way of speaking of the part of Sutherland on the Moray Firth. These meanings of sìos and suas are now perpetuated in a curious way in the east of Ross-shire when speaking English; e.g. “go east to the kitchen,” “go west to the byre,” &c, expressions that strike anyone as very comical till he understands how they originated and that they have no connection with ear and iar. This does not apply exclusively to Ross-shire. In Gairloch shìos and shuas mean practically north and south. South Earradale, for example, in the south of the parish, is called Eàrradal Shuas and Eàrradal a Deas and North Earradale is Eàrradal Shìos and Eàrradal a Tuath. Am Baile Shuas and Am Baile Shìos at Red Point furnish another instance — CR in Gael. Soc. of Inverness, xxiv, 309. In Perthshire, East, eastward. 2** Future. Sìos ud [or sìos an-siud], down yonder; a' dol sìos, going down, setting, as the sun; bho shiùbhal sìos agus suas, from going down and up; sìos agus suas, eastwards and westwards; “but and ben” of a home; falbh suas don t-seòmar, go “ben the hoose” (in some places, go west to the room); cluinnidh aimsir sìos ar cliù, future times shall hear our praise; cuir sìos, send eastward or downward — Perthshire. In Sutherland it is invariably “tha a' ghaoth á shuas,” for westerly wind and “a' ghaoth á shìos” for easterly wind. In all parts the use of sìos and suas is regulated by the direction in which the water flows, thus, it is customary to say, “a' dol suas gu ceann an loch,” or “suas don eaglais,” if in a contrary direction to the general flow of the surrounding streams, even although the journey may be dowhill all the way from where the speaker stands.

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