On that "blog that disappeared" which was just like this one only it disappeared I wrote a post all about something I had written on the back of my hand ...as I often do. I photographed it and stuck the picture up at the top. I can't do that this time because my dinky camera is not cooperating and won't let me put my pictures onto the computer.
Anyway, on the back of my hand was written just one word ... hadlif.
HADLIF
and what I thought was ... suppose I got murdered right here and now ... and the police came ... and found HADLIF written on the back of my hand.
Very Sherlock Holmes !
What on earth would they have made of it ? Googling it would do no good ... only 2 images for "hadlif" exist on google... one is up at the top there, this is the other one.
I bet it would have got in the local paper ... and then one of the many Welsh speakers in the area would get their 15 minutes of fame with the revelation of what it actually means ...which I'm sure you will know by now even if you didn't before...that's education in action that is.
That would definitely give them a smashing headline for next week, and shift a few copies as a bonus.
So ... why was "hadlif" written in blue biro on the back of my right hand ?
Here we go then ....
I had been looking up another word ... I think it was "haeddu" ..to merit, to deserve... and as I often do, I glanced around the page to see what other interesting stuff there might be.... and there, glistening in the sunshine (?) was "hadlif" ... and straight away I guessed what it meant before I even read the definition. Had = seed, and lif is really "llif" = a stream, a flow ..... so it's " a flow of seed" which is what seminal fluid is. It's a perfect "pull-apart" word ... which Welsh does a lot of. I've even collected loads of them, and some of them are on here ...in fact, they're here....
http://therockyroadtowelsh.weebly.com/blog/pull-aparts-yr-ods-eto
and here ....
http://therockyroadtowelsh.weebly.com/blog/specialised-vocabularies
So there we are ... it's all perfectly innocent really... just a wee slip of a Dysgwr Cymraeg who was just trying to extract a tiny bit of logic in a mad world !
It's about time I stuck more of them on here actually... they're fascinating, and even the ones that dont "work" are fascinating too. And educational. and Terrific For your Welsh.
I'll tell you what .. I bet hadlif is in Y Beibl ... it sound very biblical. I'll look it up.
And ... what if they'd only found my hand ?? Brilliant !
But now, music time has slowly flowed into view, packed with the little seeds of Welsh music, one of which I will pluck and put on here. ... yes, y gefeilan have made their selection and it's Ffa Coffi Pawb with their smashing ditty, Valium ... ...
• When looking up a new word, always look around for others.
• Especially potentially rude ones.
• Always be on the look-out for words you can pull apart.
• Especially potentially rude ones.
• Never write words on the back of either of your hands.
• Or any other parts.
• Especially if they are potentially rude ones.
• A dot • is useful for listing bits of advice.
• Especially if they're potentially rude ones. ( It's ALT 0149 by the way)