σουρτούκω Opposite the Dubliner in Katouni Street, Thessaloniki, there is a restaurant called Σουρτούκω. My wife told me σουρτούκω means a woman who doesn’t like staying indoors or being a housewife, and who likes going out all the time. It is a variant of σουρτούκα. The masculine form is σουρτούκης (plural σουρτούκηδες), but the feminine... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 21/2022
The scheduled practice for Wednesday, 9th Nov had to be cancelled because the pub had some event booked. Plan B – to go to someone’s house – was rendered impossible by a 24-hour strike, so there were no buses or taxis on Wednesday. We like to use practices before sessions for a combination of band... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 27/2022
κλούβιος 1) rotten, 2) stupid The word collocates with αυγό as in κλούβιο αυγό meaning a rotten egg. In this case it is not used metaphorically in the way ‘bad egg’ is used in English to describe a wicked or unpleasant person, which in Greek would be αυτός είναι κακιάς κοπής. Its second meaning is... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 20/2022
24th October. A great afternoon in the Dubliner yesterday where Tir Fada played their first gig in quite a while. They were on form, the audience appreciative, the pub full, and I overdid it with draught Lagunitas, a Californian IPA. I’m suffering today. Practice continues to be a problem for the same reasons expressed in... Continue Reading →
Life in Northern Greece 23/2022
Continuing from where I left off in LinNG 22/22, it must be said that sometimes in Greece there is no relief - even in death. Martha Karagianni, who died a couple of weeks ago, specifically requested to be cremated. My understanding is that her solicitor has her written request. Her cremation is/was being blocked by... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 26/2022
ζουρλομανδύας = straitjacket The word came up in conversation, and it struck me as odd as the first part – ζουρλο – definitiely isn’t Greek. It isn’t even a word a student would use in a school essay. Apparently, it’s of Venetian origin. The second part – μανδύας – meant a woollen cloak in Ancient... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 25/2022
μπάκα = a big belly, a paunch, a beer gut The word is of Albanian origin. A report in www.iefimerida.gr included a clip of a well-known TV presenter making fun of the tennis skills of Adonis Georgiadis, Minister of Development and Investment. The ‘development’ under discussion was Georgiadis's waistline. However, Georgiadis, not noted for his... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 19/2022
On Tuesday 20th September, five of us plus our injured guitarist met in the Dirty Glass. The previous practice was intended as a run-through of new items for the monthly session in the Dubliner. This practice was more band oriented and more organised in that it was our first effort in a while during which... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 24/2022
μπουρδολόγος - a bullshitter from μπούρδες = nonsense, bullshit, hogwash. Most often μπούρδες is used in the plural, though there is a singular noun: μπούρδα. Babiniotis says it comes from the French ‘bourde’, which he translates as ανοησία and βλακεία, both synonyms of μπούρδα. However, I’m not completely convinced. ‘Bourde’ in French means a lie... Continue Reading →
Life in Northern Greece 22/22
Neighbours – can’t live with them but can definitely thrive without them. Greeks tend to be very family oriented. In the 20-odd years I have been in this block of flats, I have never been invited to a neighbour’s flat. In fairness, I haven’t invited any of them either. But that seems to be the... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 18/2022
Our monthly sessions resumed yesterday, 11th September, after our break in August. There was a fair bit of new material in the playlist, but we coped very well. Some of the musicians brought friends and family to the pub – a captive audience – but we also went down well with a group of Russians... Continue Reading →
Life in Northern Greece 21/22
In an earlier post I said summer had arrived on schedule. It now looks as if autumn is trying to match its predecessor on punctuality. The second day of September witnessed a fall in temperature and severe rainstorms. Today (4th September) the weather is beautiful but noticeably cooler. In the wee hours of this morning... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 23/2022
κατσικώνομαι = overstay one’s welcome Despite the size and weight of Babiniotis’ dictionary, there are some omissions that seem to suggest there might be problems with the corpus or database. However, in fairness to the renowned lexicographer, I must point out that Word highlights κατσικώνομαι as being incorrect. In times of need, where do you... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 17/2022
Yesterday we assembled at the Dirty Glass to shake off the summer torpor and prepare for this Sunday’s session. And we were rusty!Fortunately, as only a few practice items were chosen, we had time to repeat them and pick up speed. Present were Vasilis (guitar), Petros (injured guitarist), Giannis (accordion), Gregory (standard & low whistles),... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 22/2022
Apologies in advance for the irregular font sizes: Θωπεύω: 1) caress or stroke; 2) to flatter A strange word that I have never heard anyone say. I came across it years ago and promptly forget the meaning. Then – after decades - I read it recently, only to see it once again a few days.... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 16/22
Nothing is happening in the Irish music scene right now. The summer slump. I have made myself busy by downloading and editing ABCs. My latest set is two 3-part reels, Mayor Harrison’s Fedora and The Cup of Tea. This will be included in the November-December playlist once one of my pals makes sure the chords... Continue Reading →
Life in Northern Greece 20/22
Wednesday, August 24th, 11am. The storm is showing no signs of moving on. Since 8:30am we have had heavy rain, thunder and lightning, one lightning strike being so powerful that it has knocked out our electricity and mobile networks. My bother-in-law sent me this text recently: “The rain falls in the Northern mountains of Ethiopia.... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 21/2022
επισύνδεση Judging from what I’ve read, the word is unfamiliar even to Greeks. Word’s auto-correct also flags it as being either incorrect or non-existent. When talking about phones, σύνδεση and αποσύνδεση are ‘connection’ and ‘disconnection’ respectively, but επισύνδεση is an add-on, specifically wire-tapping. It’s not necessarily illegal if a warrant is issued, but the question... Continue Reading →
Life in Northern Greece 19/2022
She’s alive. He didn't kill her. He may not have even managed to blind her. The ex-husband attacked her with caustic acid. He was stressed out with the debts she was accruing. After a spate of three femicides in the past month, this was one more act of wanton violence. In my last post I... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 20/2022
Ξυλάγγουρο = an Armenian cucumber. God knows what that is. Bigger than a gherkin but smaller than a standard cucumber. A synonym is αντζούρι. However, ξυλάγγουρο is used mainly as an insult with two basic meanings. 1) A tall, thin awkward person, and 2) someone who is thick and uneducated. Regarding the first definition, I... Continue Reading →