Funny Welsh Expressions

I don’t usually like these lists as they tend to be way off the mark and full of errors, but this one is pretty spot on and quite funny…

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:joy::grin::joy::grin::joy:

I even recognized some of them, like dros ben llestri, which I think I heard on HWB.

And since the jellyfish exhibit is one of my favorite stops at the New England Aquarium — I even have a steampunk jellyfish necklace made out of watch parts — it gave me quite a belly-laugh to discover what they’re called. It was even funnier to realize why they might have be given that name.

Just because I like posting pictures, this is my favorite: the delicate and beautiful Flower Hat Jelly.

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Some nice colorful vocab there. :smiling_imp:

Many old friends, some I didn’t know, probably because they are a tad rude in English translation! But, one question, isn’t ‘siglen’ Welsh for swing?

Best avoid socialising with some of the locals in Caernarfon I would say… :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: . Many of these expressions are typically Northern Welsh and very

characteristic of the dialect heard in and around the Bangor Caernarfon to Pen Llyn and Porthmadog area.

Yes! But again, because they’re typical of many Gwynedd dialects, many English names get thrown in. :wink:

Yes, I noticed the very northern bias. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but the final item had me thinking “wejen? sboner?”

Yes, absolutely. Wejen and sboner very popular in parts of central Wales and down south. But not, of course up north. :wink:

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18 posts were split to a new topic: Language roots and growth discussion (from Funny Welsh Expressions thread)

No’s 18 & 22 are my favourite.:rofl:

Nice one. I love all these brilliant Welsh expressions and collect them in my own “Phraseionary / Ymadroddiadur”. One of my current faves is ‘Reis a chips’ meaning bisexual. Also, ‘Dim gobaith caneri’ (not a canary’s hope); ‘Disgleirio fel ceiliau ci’ (shining like a dog’s testicles) and ‘fel cwnigen drwy gae o letys’ (like a rabbit through a field of lettuce)…

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Since you have already mentioned the official word, I find it fun that an alternative word for testicles is “eirin” (plums). (Singular: eirinen - interestingly, a feminine noun).

An early Super Furry Animals EP is a play on one of these phrases: Moog Droog.

Here is one for you Chris I have come across this funny expression and a descriptive expression. Not sure what part of Wales it originates Fel rhech mewn pot jam.(like a fart in a jam pot) which describes something/someone as useless
Perhaps I should use this on hangout to describe my attempts at speaking

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That is a good one Richard. A bit like ‘fel rhech mewn siwt gofod’ - like a fart in a spacesuit! (something or someone very annoying but you can’t get away from.

I quite like “mae bran i fran yn rhywle” or “mae bran i bob bran”. There’s a crow for every crow somewhere - I think it means there’s someone out there for everyone.

I had to double check those ones, before putting them here and a google search threw up this one as well which i won’t translate.

“Tinddu medd y fran wrth yr wylan”