taigh

-e, -ean, sm House. 'S e 'ainm aoibhneach taigh na féile, its joyful name is the house of hospitality; aig an taigh, at home; bhon taigh, from home, abroad; mullach an taighe, the top of the house; ceann taighe, the head of a house or family; 2 head of the branch of a family; sìth ann 'ad chriadh-thaigh caol, peace in your cold mansion of clay; as an taigh, out of the house; ann 'am thaigh, in my house; ann 'ad thaigh, in your house; 'na thaigh màile fhéin, in his own hired house; an taigh a' chomhagail, [an taigh comha = eadar-dhà-chomhairle — Argyll — AH], in a state of uncertainty; taigh is aodach, a tent. [The gen sing in old Gaelic was tige].

Names of Parts of a blackhouse:
1 Na Ceangail, [Na Ceangail Ghàidhealach — (WC). Lànan, pl lànain & lànanan. Saidheachan — AH. Cas-choirbeil ††], Couples. Fastened to the corner-poles with wooden pins. The couples are connected immediately below the ridge-pole by a piece of wood (an ad) and lower down by a cross-beam (an spàrr — No. 5). Cas-cheangal, is one of the legs of a couple — Lewis —(DMy).
2 Am Bun-cheangal. [A' Chrùp, bun baca]. The lower end of couple sunk in the wall and reaching the groin. [Crùp, (AH) (pl. crùpan, Upright beam built into wall and intended to support the couples].
3 Pieces of timber laid across and binding the couples together, called “na cléithean” in Skye and “na laobhain” in Lewis. In Lewis “an taobhan àrd” is placed about half way between the ridge and wall and “an taobhan ìosal” is about 11in. below it and 18in. from the top of the wall — DMy. “Na cléithean” is the name applied in Lewis to the pieces of wood laid across the “taobhain” (No. 3) and running from wall to ridge to prevent the straw going through roof — DMy.
4 Na Cabair, the side-rafters, are placed over the cléithean (No. 3 in Skye), running from wall to ridge.
5 An Spàrr. Small cross stick near the angle of couple to strengthen them. Spàrr-ghaoithe — (DC).
6 Am Maide-droma, [Cabar-droma, sgaith, †† Laom-chrann. Taobhan-mullaich — AH]. Ridge-pole or roof-tree. The beam along the ridge of the roof.
7 A' Chorr — so pronounced in Skye & Argyll at least, but dictionaries mark corr as masculine. A thick stick like a couple, reaching from the middle of end wall (there are no gables of course) to top of nearest couple. Còrr-thulchann are generally bent and meet at end of ridge-pole where they are fastened to one another by a wooden pin called crann-tarraing.
8 An Roinn-oisinn [or -oisne,] Cabar-oisinn [or -oisne,] (pl. na cabair-oisinn) [or -oisne] Corner-stick. Strong sticks placed from each corner of wall to nearest couple.
9 Am Maide feannaig, [maide starraig] stick running up through the thatch from the spàrr at either end and used as a peg round which to pass the siomain fraoich, “ach,” continued my informant, “tha daoine a-nis a' fàs cho Gallda nach foghainn dhaibh ach an nett-wire (sic) no na ròpan feòir as a' bhùthaidh!” (people are becoming so anti-Gaelic now that nothing less than win-netting or coir yarn ropes from the shop can satisfy them). [Spàrr-ealaig — Uist — DC].
10 An Similear crochaidh, made of thin wood or canvas to confine the smoke, generally, but not always, exists when the fire is at the end of the house.
11 An Luidhear, the vent to allow the smoke to escape through the thatch.
Acair, (pl. acraichean), Stones fixed in loops of heather-ropes, used as weights to keep the thatch in its place — Lewis. Anainn, top of wall inside. [The corresponding position outside — AH].
Baircean, see dictionary.
Balla tarsainn, see talan.
Bonn, found.
Bonnacha-bac, position above eaves where the weights are set.
Bràigh, summit.
Buabhall an eich, horse stall — Lewis.
Buabhall na bà, cow-stall — Lewis.
Bunntair, foundation.
Cabar-droma, ridge-board.
Cabar-fraighe, ‡‡ eave-beam.
Calpa, walls, as distinct from roof — AH.
Casan-ceangail, joists.
Cas an teannachaidh, see dictionary.
Ceann an taighe, upper end — Lewis.
Ceann shuas an taighe, see Ceann an taighe.
Ceàrn, kitchen or “but” of a Highland house — DMK.
Claidhean, wooden doorlatch, “sneck.” [Claidheamhan, (MMcL).
Clòidhean, (DU)], cléithean buinn, strips of wood running upwards from top of wall and resting on the taobhain ìosal — Lewis — (DMy).
Cléithean mullaich, strips of wood fixed to the ridge at top and resting on top rafters (or taobhain àrda — (DMy).
Cotan nan uan, kind of pen or enclosure to confine the lambs by themselves in the house in winter — Lewis.
Crann-tairngnean, pins or wooden nails used in fastening the various sets of beams.
Cuaille, rafter.
Cùil, private room or “ben” of a Highland house — DMK.
Cùlaist, store, store-room. Tha cùlaist math aige, was said when the cùlaist was full of potatoes, meal &c. to tide over winter and spring — Lewis. [In Uist the inner room of the house and which had access only through the common room. It is the room assigned to the use of the girls of a family —DC] “Ben” — WC.
Dragh, straw-rope laid round the thatch 3ft. from the top of wall and round which the loops of heather are bound before the weights (acraichean) are put in.
Dromanaich, ridge-ropes, ropes for fastening on thatch. 2(WC) Bifurcated twigs for holding lathas in place on thatch.
Dronn, ridge.
Druim an taighe, ridge.
Duibheid, turf for top of house, divot.
Eadar-dhà-bhìth, surface between the outer door and the kitchen door.
Faradh, loft made of sticks covered with divots.
Foid-buinn, doorstep.
Foid fàil, sods of turf laid along the top of the wall.
Fraigh, wall.
Frioghan, see dictionary.
Gath-droma, ridge-pole — Lewis.
Glularan, glutaranadh, packing between outer and inner walls — MMcL. Lathas, (WC) pieces of wood laid lengthwise on thatch.
Maide-aide, (lit. hat-stick) crosspiece joining the two doorposts at the top. So called from its coming into contact with hats of people who were not accustomed to bow down on entering a house. The common saying when anyone struck his hat in this way was, “cromaidh an coileach circe 'cheann fon àrd-doras” — Lewis — (DMy).
Maide-slabhraidh, cross-stick laid on two upper rafters (taobhain) from which to hang chain and hook over fire — Lewis.
Màs an taighe, lower end — Lewis.
Màthair-shìomain, heather-rope laid say three feet above eaves (outside) and round which the loops are bound before weights are put on. 2 Stretch of heather-rope extended horizontally below the row of weights — (AH).
Sgolb, pin or wattle for fixing thatch.
Sgonn, balk.
Sgrathan, divots for covering roof.
Sìomain-fraoich, heather-ropes used for keeping thatch on house — (WC).
Spàrr-ealaig, see dictionary.
Spàrr-gaoithe, see dictionary.
Spiris, hen-roost.
Stagh, stay.
Stall, space between door and fire in blackhouses.
Talan, partition wall of stall, about 3ft or 4ft high.
Tràigh, basement.
Trannsa, lobby.
Tughadh, thatch. Frequently made of bun dubh — the thick stem of a certain species of fern which is very lasting. Bun dubh, stem of barley plucked by the roots — M.McL.

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