So ... you look it up in the dictionary .... well, it wasn't in any of mine. After a few more encounters with good old swigod I began to think it might mean a bubble, or bubbles. So then I went back to all my dictionaries and looked in the English-Welsh section ... no, all they had for bubble/bubbles was stuff like bwrlwm, bwrlymu, cloch ddŵr ...
So for a good while I was stuck. Then one bright day, I got the hefty " Geiriadur Mawr " ... I've no idea why it's called that ... but swigod isn't in there either. I considered taking it back and getting my money back but though it was a bit churlish, as it only cost £1.99 ..... and a bit later I looked in the English-Welsh side .....
bubble, n. cwlwm, cloch ddŵr, yswigen. v. byrlymu.
Aha .... "yswigen" .. that's a bit close ... that's very close !
And on the next line we had .... wait for it ...
Bubble Chamber, llestr yswigod.
That's close enough for me.
Since then I've found out about google Tranlate, and it says it's "bubbles" but I still haven't seen the actual word "swigod" in any dictionary. nor do I know for sure what the swigod-related singular of swigod is. Swig ? Giws ? Glachrhwgu ? Plath ?
Mind you, when you look up the words for the song, it translates it as bubbles ... which is reassuring.
On the same theme, have you read my rather sarcastic account of the search for the meaning of "yli" ... it's a searing critique of the entire Welsh language with what I think could be a happy ending... in the sense that I think I have found out what it means and where it comes from.... so there. If you click on "March 2016" in the sidebar you should be able to find it in there somewhere.... amongst all the other, er, erudite articles.
And now .... a singularly monothematic song from Gruff Rhys ...
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru ar traffyrdd
A dwi'n gyrru ar y prif ffyrdd
Does ddim trafferth i mi
Gyrraedd unrhyw fan yn y byd
Dwi'n gwybio ar y lonydd
Tra dwi'n ganu yn aflonydd
Does ddim un man rhy
Anghysbell i mi gyrraedd a hi
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n rhwyfo ar afonydd
Ac yn hedfan i'r i
Werydd mewn hofrenydd
Ac ymenydd electronig y we
Popio i pell hafion [unverified]
image: http://static.urx.io/units/web/urx-unit-loader.gif
Ac yn nofio yn yr afon
Ac yn cerdded ac yn
Rhedeg ar y tren ar y trac
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru
Dwi'n gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru gyrru
Gyrru gyrru gyrru