Ba cloch i n-inad uigi sin.

Ba cloch i n-inad uigi sin.

(was * stone * in * place * of egg * that)

That was a stone in place of an egg.

A proverbial expression for a bad exchange, found the Book of Fenagh, the Annals of Connacht, and elsewhere. DIL quotes, s.v. “sop”, an extended version from “Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh” where it refers to the quality of a person: “nir bo cloch in inad ugi sen ⁊ nir bo sop in inad largi” (that was not a stone instead of an egg or a whisp instead of a stout stick).

Topics: Proverbial Sayings