One of the great things about being a Highlander is that you carry with pride the legacy of generations upon generations of people imbued with the Highland spirit … resolute in defence, aggressive and determined in the attack, principled in victory, and defiant in defeat. That spirit is captured in many Scottish Gaelic expressions, maxims and proverbs. In this month’s Gaelic Corner we introduce one of them to you:
A ’Bhiast as mutha ag ithe na beiste as lugha. Due to the idiosyncrasies of Scottish Gaelic grammar, this translates literally to “The beast biggest eating of the beast smallest”. Its meaning, though, is clear, and can take many forms: The biggest beast eats the smallest beast. The bigger beast eats the smaller beast. The stronger beats the weaker. The better trained prevails over the poorly trained. The more motivated defeats the poorly motivated. The better led outsmarts the poorly led. The committed succeed over the uncommitted.
How is it pronounced? Fairly easily, as follows: A’bhiast (Uh vee-ahst) as mutha (ahs moo-ah) ag ithe (ik uh) na beiste (nuh besh-tuh) as lugha (ahs loo-uh). Practice it a few times and you will find that it will start rolling off your tongue. It’s a great way to start your next conversation with a person who is lacking in the Highland Spirit which we are proud to call our own and which we carry into action in doing all that we do.