A chara, - "To pus," and "to unpus a boil or lesion", for example, are not normally said even in arcane medical parlance, there being no such verbs. Nevertheless, images of the suppuration and of its treatment are immediately (if unwittingly) suggested by public representatives and spokespersons, indeed by many RTE newsreaders, presenters, interviewers and reporters (all of whom should know better, of course) when they say "unpussed" for An Post! 'Tis a howl! The boil is burst!
Then there is "Lewis" and "loose" for Luas, and with "guard a", "guar' the" or "gor the" for garda, and "guardee"/"guar' thee"/"gor thee" for gardai on RTE - not forgetting the recent Minister for Finance who announced in his budget speech that he intended to allocate extra money to "shag us" (Teagasc, my friend).
My concern here is with the mistreatment of our first official language in public service broadcasting, and by those who should be its guardians. Yes, a particular example may always be a howl, so to speak, but don't you find the underlying attitude, and the unmistakable message being given, rather worrisome? And yes, what about standards? And linguistic parity of esteem? Come to think of it, isn't it the case that "unpussed" here, for example, is neither English nor Irish? Bilingualism, how are you?
Let's think these matters over. Meanwhile, once more with feeling: a, faire fuinn aris; a, faire go brach! - Is mise,
Roibeard O Hurdail, Gleann Maghair, Co Chorcai.