My reliable informant used σκατοσβουρήχτρα to describe a female acquaintance. It didn’t require a profound knowledge of Modern Greek to realise it wasn’t a compliment. It was quite a hard word to find, but AI came up with the following: Κυριολεκτική βάση: Προέρχεται από τις λέξεις «σκατό» και «σβουρίζω» (γυρίζω σαν σβούρα, ανακατεύω). Αναφέρεται μεταφορικά... Continue Reading →
26/005 Life in Northern -Greece – Up in the Air
I am often asked if I prefer life here or if I would rather live in the UK or Ireland. In a recent post, I wondered if Greece was catching up with the UK or if the Disunited Kingdom was “catching down” on Greece. Meaningless strikes and protests can make life difficult, recent examples being... Continue Reading →
26/004 Life in Northern Greece Ταλαιπωριστάν
9th May 2026. It can strike at any time. The Greek system’s urge to fuck people’s lives up. My son was supposed to fly to Athens yesterday. He was going to the capital to see Metallica this evening. At home he was unable to do his online check-in for the 12:20pm SkyExpress flight. At the... Continue Reading →
26/003 Irish Music in Northern Greece – Easter
I must bow to Greek reality. Easter is a write-off. As mentioned before, our Palm Sunday session a couple of years ago was poorly attended; both player participation and audience numbers were low. This year we tried St. Thomas’s Day (the Sunday after Easter for any Heathens reading this) with even worse results. Our worst... Continue Reading →
26/004 Greek Word νταγλαράς – a big, strong, burly guy
We have an immovable wardrobe in our bedroom. Sooner or later we are going to have to shift it to access the wall behind it and assess how much it is suffering from mould or dampness. My wife said she was going to ask the painter to come along with two νταγλραράδες to pull the... Continue Reading →
26/003 Greek Word σκαλώνω – catch, hit a snag
My daughter was stopped at a junction in Athens when a migrant asked if she wanted her windscreen cleaned. She could not understand why the cars in front had all switched on their windscreen wipers since it wasn’t raining. Then she found out why. The fucker stole her wipers. She got a new pair at... Continue Reading →
26/003 Life in Northern Greece
I caught a film on TV last night, on a channel called OPEN, a new kid on the block, and quite professional in comparison with other channels. Watching a film, however, is a nightmare. There are so many adverts that a 90-minute film can take over 2 hours. One particularly nasty trick, used by all... Continue Reading →
26/002 Life in Northern Greece – The Environment
No, not the purity of our waterways, seas, forests and mountains, but the prevailing Greek attitude to the world outside the house or flat where the environment begins and ends at the threshold. The home might be spotless, but nobody gives a shit about what lies opposite, around or beneath. “Midden” is a word I... Continue Reading →
26/002 Irish Music in Northern Greece – Grevena
Our March session was the best we have had in a while. Our accordionist was back. Leta popped up from Athens. And Panos wasn’t double-booked. We had eleven musicians and a good crowd. I introduced the song Black Velvet Band whose chorus was sung with great gusto. Antony, the Arhegono manager, has agreed that our... Continue Reading →
26/002 Greek Word καβουρμάς – corned beef
My little grocer’s across the road does a good job of stocking the basics, the kind of place you’ll pop into late in the evening if you’ve run out of milk, bread or beer. However, Alexandros, the grocer, also has an interesting range of processed meats. For example, a while ago he had μπαρούτι Αδάνων... Continue Reading →
26/001 Greek Word τεκνατζού – a cougar
No, not the America mountain lion, but an older woman who prefers to have sex with younger men. The word is interesting for two reasons. The -τζής/τζού suffix (masc/fem respectively) denotes jobs, usually trades e.g. μπογιατζής (painter) and τζαμτζής (glazier). The first point of interest is that there does not appear to be a male... Continue Reading →
26/001 Irish Music in Northern Greece
We had our second session last Sunday (Feb 8th). It was a lot quieter than our first session of the year in January. For the second time in a row, our accordionist was missing – something that is beginning to worry me. The deeper worry is that the session is not growing. Motherhood has resulted... Continue Reading →
26/001 Life in Northern Greece
After a fallow January, I’m back. Four reasons for the silence. First, I was in London and Ireland for Christmas and New Year. Secondly my subscription to Write-Away-Salonika expired. Third, a bout of the Winter lurgies struck. It was bad enough to force the postponement of reason #4: surgery. My time in London convinced me... Continue Reading →
25/013 Irish Music in Northern Greece – On the 11th Day before Christmas
15th December 2025: We met for our last session of the year in Arhegono yesterday evening. Kathleen is to be credited for drumming up considerable support. We were down in numbers because Andy and Kate are recovering from heavy colds or flu. And poor Vasilis had an accident on his bike. Fortunately, he’s OK. he... Continue Reading →
25/022 Greek Word – κουτούκι – a small traditional taverna
According to Babiniotis it is a μικρή, συνήθως, υπόγεια ταβέρνα όπου προσφέρεται κυρίως βαρελίσιο κρασί συχνά με φαγητό σε χαμηλές τιμές. From the Turkish kütük meaning a log or tree stump, and the expression kütük gıbı (= blind drunk). I think Babiniotis is wrong in using “υπόγεια” as they are not underground; “ημιυπόγεια” (semi-basement) might... Continue Reading →
25/012 Irish Music in Northern Greece: Rebirth Αναγέννηση
It appears we are back in business. We gathered in Archegono/Αρχέγονο Sunday, 9th November. I think the later start suited most people. The layout and design of the bar is ideal for a session, and there was only one TV. Even though Manchester City v Liverpool was on, there seemed to be little interest in... Continue Reading →
25/017 Life in Northern Greece – Metroballs
Three weeks short of its 1st anniversary, the Thessaloniki Metro has shut down. Is there anything worse than having a benefit withdrawn, even if temporarily? Apparently, it should last for around 30 days while the extension to Kalamaria is being completed. Also, they are bringing in new rolling stock. The idea is for passengers to... Continue Reading →
25/021 Greek Word – πεσκέσι – a gift
One more Turkish loanword. If used correctly, it means specifically a gift of food or drink. According to Babiniotis, its second meaning is τυχαίο απόκτημα as in “μαζί με την προαγωγή του ’ρθε πεσκέσι και ο πρώτος λαχνός στο λαχείο.” As well as getting promoted, he also won first prize in the lottery. Here it... Continue Reading →
25/020 Greek Word – σκρατς
Seen on TV last night in an ΟΠΑΠ advert. Again, an unnecessary borrowing as there are at least two words in common use, ξύνω and γρατζουνίζω. The call to war was originally ξύστο (scratch it) but it has recently changed to σκρατς (as in the picture). Greek dictionaries haven’t caught up with the word yet.... Continue Reading →
25/016 Life in Northern Greece – Feast and Femicide
26th October. The feast of St. Demetrius and the 113th anniversary of the retaking of Thessaloniki from the Turks. It’s not a national holiday but it is a quasi-public holiday in our co-capital. As today is a Sunday, the schools are closed tomorrow, and again on Tuesday for Greece’s second National Day, Όχι Μέρα. In... Continue Reading →