cat

(gen. kattar, dat. ketti; pl. kettir, acc. köttu), m. cat (sér köttrinn músina?).

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m., kattar, ketti, pl. kettir, acc. köttu, mod. ketti; [A. S. and Engl. cat; O. H. G. chatza; Germ. katze; Dan. kat; Swed. katt]:—a cat, originally the martin cat or weasel; engi dynr verðr af hlaupi kattarins, Edda 19; hross eigu menn eigi at eta ok köttu, K. Þ. K. 134; mýss svá stórar sem kettir ungir vaeri, Ó. H.; liggja hjá sem köttr í hreysi, Orkn. 104; sér köttrinn músina, Ísl. ii. 309; rífast eins og gráir kettir, to live a cat and dog life, a saying; hvatr, blauðr, breyma k. (q. v.); a tom-cat is called fress, högni, steggr; a she-cat, bleyða; a black tom-cat, kolr; a white tom-cat, mjaldr; the pet name is kisa, kis kis, q. v.; hreysi-k. (q. v.), the ermine cat. It seems that in the Saga time (10th century) the cat was not yet domesticated, for passages such as Vd. ch. 28, Eg. S. Einh. ch. 10, and the story in Edda (Thor lifting the giant’s cat) apply better to the wild cat or the martin cat; and the saying in Ísl. ii. l. c. (sees the cat the mouse?) probably refers to the weasel and the field mouse; but that early in the 12th century the cat was domesticated even in Icel. is shewn by the story of the chess-players and the kittens leaping after a straw on the floor, told in Mork. 204, 205; for a curious legend of the genesis of the cat, see Maurer’s Volks. 190; kattar sonr, a cat’s son ( the ermine cat), a bastard, was a term of abuse, Hkv. 1. 18:—a nickname, Landn.; hvers son ertú?—Ek em Kattarson,—Hverr var sá kottrinn? Fms. vi. 390.

COMPDS: kattarauga, kattarrófa, kattarskinn, kattartunga.

(pl. -ir), f. din, noise, clattering of hoofs (riðu þeir heim mikinn dyn í túnit eptir hörðum velli); engi dynr verðr af hlaupi kattarins, noiseless are the cat’s steps; gera sem mestan dyn, to make the greatest noise; koma em dyn fyrir dyrr, to make a din before one’s doors, take one by surprise.

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m. pl. ir, [A. S. dyn; Engl. din; Swed. dån; Dan. dön], a din; engi d. verðr af hlaupi kattarins, noiseless are the cat’s steps, Edda 19; gnýr eða þrymr, dynr eða dunr, Skálda 169; d. ok brestr, Bær. 15: marching as troops, ríða mikinn dyn, to ride with mickle din (of horsemen galloping), Ísl. ii. 333: the phrase, koma e-m dyn fyrir dyrr, to make a din before one’s door, take one by surprise, Fms. viii. 60, 189; gera sem mestan dyn, to make the greatest noise, 403: in pl., heyrði Gangleri dyni mikla, Edda 44.

(pl. -ar), m.

1) tom-cat (eigandi fressa, Freyja);

2) bear.

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m. a tom-cat, Edda 63, Grág. i. 501; also called fress-köttr, m., and steggr, q. v.:—a bear, Edda (Gl.), Korm. (in a verse).

f. pl. cat’s eyes.

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f. pl. [glóra], cat’s eyes glittering in the dark, Fas. iii. 385: in mod. usage as a cant name for eyes red or blood-shot.

n. coil (of a serpent); köttrinn beygði hangit (v. r. kenginn), the cat bent its back.

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n. the coil of a serpent; beygja hangit, of a cat, Edda 33.

n. a cat’s skin, Þorf. Karl. 374; kattskinns glófar, cat-skin gloves, id.

a, m. [kause, Ivar Aasen], a cat, = kisa, q. v.; Snorri mælti við son sinn Þórð kausa, sér köttrinn músina, sees the cat the mouse? Ísl. ii. 309:—a nickname, Eb.

f. she-cat; giantess.

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u, f. a she-cat: of a giantess, Fb. i. 526, Grett. 151 new Ed.: kettu-hryggr, m. a nickname, Bs. i.

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(að), v. to scratch (like a cat).

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að, to scratch like a cat, Stj. 77. 80, Fas. ii. 370: to scrawl, write badly, klóra bréf.

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(gen. pl. augna), n.

1) eye;

lúka (bregða) upp augum, bregða augum í sundr, to open (lift up) the eyes;

lúka aptr augum, to shift the eyes;

renna (bregða, leiða) augum til e-s, to turn the eyes to;

leiða e-n augum, to measure one with the eyes;

berja augum í e-t, to take into consideration;

koma augum á e-t, to set eyes on, become aware of;

hafa auga á e-u, t have, keep, an eye upon;

segja e-t í augu upp, to one’s face, right in the face;

unna e-m sem augum í höfði sér, as one’s own eye-balls;

e-m vex e-t í augu, one has scruples about;

náit er nef augum, the nose is neighbor to the eyes;

gløggt er gests augat, a guest’s eye is sharp;

mörg eru dags augu, the day has many eyes;

eigi leyna augu, ef ann kona manni, the eyes cannot hide it if a woman loves a man;

2) hole, aperture in a needle (nálarauga), in a millstone (kvarnarauga) or an axe-head;

3) pit full of water.

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n., gen. pl. augna, [Lat. oculus, a dimin. of an obsolete ocus; Gr. οφθαλμός (Boeot. οκταλμός); Sanskr. aksha: the word is common to Sanskrit with the Slavonic, Greek, Roman, and Teutonic idioms: Goth. augo; Germ, auge; A. S. eâge; Engl. eye; Scot. ee; Swed. öga; Dan. öje, etc. Grimm s. v. suggests a relationship to Lat. acies, acutus, etc. The letter n appears in the plur. of the mod. northern languages; the Swedes say ‘ögon,’ oculi, the Danes ‘öjne;’ with the article ‘ögonen’ and ‘öjnene;’ Old Engl. ‘eyne;’ Scot. ‘een’]

I. an eye. It is used in Icel. in a great many proverbs, e. g. betr sjá augu en auga, ‘two eyes see better than one,’ i. e. it is good to yield to advice: referring to love, unir auga meðan á sér, the eye is pleased whilst it can behold (viz. the object of its affection), Fas. i. 125, cp. Völs. rím. 4. 189; eigi leyna augu, ef ann kona manni, the eyes cannot bide it, if a woman love a man, i. e. they tell their own tale, Ísl. ii. 251. This pretty proverb is an απ. λεγ. l. c. and is now out of use; it is no doubt taken from a poem in a dróttkvætt metre, (old proverbs have alliteration, but neither rhymes nor assonance, rhyming proverbs are of a comparatively late date): medic., eigi er sá heill er í augun verkir, Fbr. 75; sá drepr opt fæti ( slips) er augnanna missir, Bs. i. 742; hætt er einu auganu nema vel fari, he who has only one eye to lose will take care of it (comm.); húsbóndans auga sér bezt, the master’s eye sees best; glögt er gests augat, a guest’s eye is sharp; mörg eru dags augu, the day has many eyes, i. e. what is to be hidden must not be done in broad daylight, Hm. 81; náið er nef augum, the nose is near akin to the eyes (tua res agitur paries quum proximus ardet), Nj. 21; opt verðr slíkt á sæ, kvað selr, var skotinn í auga, this often happens at sea, quoth the seal, when he was shot in the eye, of one who is in a scrape, Fms. viii. 402. In many phrases, at unna ( to love) e-m sem augum í höfði sér, as one’s own eye-balls, Nj. 217; þótti mér slökt it sætasta ljós augna minna, by his death the sweetest light of my eyes was quenched, 187: hvert grætr þú nú Skarphéðinn? eigi er þat segir Skarphéðinn, en hitt er satt at súrnar í augum, the eyes smart from smoke, 200: renna, líta augum, to seek with the eyes, to look upon: it is used in various connections, renna, líta ástaraugum, vánaraugum, vinaraugum, trúaraugum, öfundaraugum, girndarauga, with eyes of love, hope, friendship, faith, envy, desire: mæna a. denotes an upward or praying look; stara, fixed; horfa, attentive; lygna, blundskaka, stupid or slow; blína, glápa, góna, vacant or silly; skima, wandering; hvessa augu, a threatening look; leiða e-n a., to measure one with the eyes; gjóta, or skjóta hornauga, or skjóta a. í skjálg, to throw a side glance of dislike or ill-will; gjóta augum is always in a bad sense; renna, líta mostly in a good sense: gefa e-u auga, oculum adjicere alicui; hafa auga á e-u, to keep an eye on it; segja e-m e-t í augu upp, to one’s face, Orkn. 454; at augum, adverb. with open eyes, Hervar. S. (in a verse), etc. As regards various movements of the eyes; ljúka upp augum, to open the eyes; láta aptr augun, to shut the eyes; draga auga í pung, to draw the eye into a purse, i. e. shut one eye; depla augum, to blink; at drepa titlinga (Germ. äugeln, blinzen), to wink, to kill tits with the suppressed glances of the eye; glóðarauga, a suffusion on the eye, hyposphagma; kýrauga. proptosis; vagl á auga, a beam in the eye; skjálgr, Lat. limus; ský, albugo; tekinn til augnanna, with sunken eyes, etc., Fél. ix. 192; a. bresta, in death: hafa stýrur í augum, to have prickles in the eyes, when the eyes ache for want of sleep: vatna músum, ‘to water mice,’ used esp. of children weeping silently and trying to hide their tears. As to the look or expression of the eyes there are sundry metaph. phrases, e. g. hafa fékróka í augum, to have wrinkles at the corners of the eyes, of a shrewd money getting fellow, Fms. ii. 84, cp. Orkn. 330, 188, where krókauga is a cognom.; kvenna-króka, one insinuating with the fair sex; hafa ægishjalm í augum is a metaphor of one with a piercing, commanding eye, an old mythical term for the magical power of the eye, v. Grimm’s D. Mythol. under Ægishjalmr: vera mjótt á milli augnanna, the distance between the eyes being short, is a popular saying, denoting a close, stingy man, hence mjóeygr means close: e-m vex e-t í augu (now augum), to shrink back from, of a thing waxing and growing before one’s eyes so that one dares not face it. As to the shape, colour, etc. of the eye, vide the adj. ‘eygr’ or ‘eygðr’ in its many compds. Lastly we may mention the belief, that when the water in baptism touches the eyes, the child is thereby in future life prevented from seeing ghosts or goblins, vide the words úfreskr and skygn. No spell can touch the human eye; en er harm sá augu hans (that of Loki in the shape of a bird), þá grunaði hann (the giant) at maðr mundi vera, Edda 60; í bessum birni þykist hón kenna augu Bjarnar konungs sonar, Fas. i. 51, vide Ísl. Þjóðs.

II. meton. and metaph. auga is used in a great many connections:

α. astron.; þjaza augu, the eyes of the giant Thiazi, is a constellation, probably the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux; the story is told in the Edda 47, cp. Harbarðsljóð 19; (Snorri attributes it to Odin, the poem to Thor.)

β. botan., auga = Lat. gemma, Hjalt. 38; kattarauga, cat’s eye, is the flower forget-me-not.

γ. the spots that form the numbers on dice, Magn. 530.

δ. the hole in a millstone; kvarnarauga, Edda 79, 221, Hkr. i. 121: the opening into which an axe handle is fastened, Sturl. ii. 91: a pit full of water, Fs. 45: nálarauga, a needle’s eye: vindauga, wind’s eye or window (which orig. had no glass in it), A. S. eag-dura (eye-door); also gluggi, q. v.: gleraugu, spectacles.

ε. anatom., the pan of the hip joint, v. augnakarl, Fms. iii. 392: gagnaugu, temples.

ζ. hafsauga, the bottom of the ocean, in the popular phrase, fara út í hafsauga, descendere ad tartara.

η. poët. the sun is called heimsauga, dagsauga, Jónas 119.

COMPDS either with sing. auga or pl. augna; in the latter case mod. usage sometimes drops the connecting vowel a, e. g. augn-dapr, augn-depra, augn-fagr, etc. auga-bragð (augna-), n. the twinkling of an eye, Hm. 77; á einu a., in the twinkling of an eye, Ver. 32, Edda (pref.) 146, Sks. 559, Rb. 568: a glance, look, snart a., Fms. ii. 174; mikit a., v. 335; úfagrligt a., Fs. 43; hafa a. af e-u, to cast a look at, Fbr. 49, Fms. xi. 424: in the phrase, at hafa e-n (or verða) at augabragði, metaph. to make sport of, to mock, deride, gaze at, Stj. 627, 567, Hm. 5, 29. auga-brun, f. the eye-brow. auga-staðr, m. an eye-mark; hafa a. á e-u, to mark with the eye. auga-steinn (augna-), m. the eye-ball, Hkr. iii. 365, Fms. v. 152. augna-bending, f. a warning glance, Pr. 452. augna-blik, n. mod. = augnabragð, s. augna-bólga, u, f. ophthalmia. augna-brá, f. the eye-lid, D. N. i. 216. augna-fagr and aug-fagr, adj. fair-eyed, Fas. ii. 365, Fms. v. 200. augna-fró, f. a plant, eye-bright, euphrasia, also augna-gras, Hjalt. 231. augna-fræ, n. lychnis alpina. augna-gaman, n. a sport, delight for the eyes to gaze at, Ld. 202, Bær. 17, Fsm. 5 (love, sweetheart). augna-gróm, n. (medic.) a spot in the eye; metaph., ekki a., no mere speck, of whatever can easily be seen. augna-hár, n. an eye-lash. augna-hvannr, m. the eye-lid. augna-hvita, u, f. albugo. augna-karl, n. the pan of the hip joint; slíta or slitna or augnaköllunum, Fas. iii. 392. augna-kast, n. a wild glance, Barl. 167. augna-kláði, a, m. psorophthalmi. augna-krókr, n. the corner of the eye. augna-lag, n. a look, Ld. 154. augna-lok, n. ‘eye-covers,’ eye-lids. augna-mein, n. a disease of the eye. augna-mjörkvi, a, m. dimness of the eye, Pr. 471. augna-ráð, n. expression of the eye. augna-skot, n. a look askance, Gþl. 286, Fs. 44 (of cats). augna-slím, n. glaucoma. augna-staðr, m. the socket of the eye, Magn. 532. augna-sveinn, m. a lad leading a blind man, Str. 46. augn-tepra, u, f. hippus. augna-topt, f. the socket of the eye. augna-verkr, m. pain in the eye, Hkr. ii. 257, Bs. i. 451, Pr. 471, Bjarn. 58. augna-vik, n. pl. = augnakrókr. augna-þungi, a, m. heaviness of the eye, Hkr. ii. 257.

n. a fool or tool egged on by another; hafa e-n at á., Sturl. i. 81, to use one to snatch the chestnuts out of the fire; cp. the Engl. cat’s-paw.

a. indecl. at heat (of ewes and goats).

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adj. ind. [blær, a ram], a ewe or goat at heat, Grág. i. 427, Fbr. 212, Stj. 178; cp. yxna of a cow, breyma of a cat, rœða of a sow.

used as adj. ind., b. köttr, a she-cat at heat.

n. a fool, a cat’s paw, Nj. 52; vide eggingar-fífl.

n. a ‘fore-leaping,’ in the phrase, hafa e-n at forhleypi, or at forhleypis-manni, to use one as a ‘fore-leaper,’ i. e. as a cat’s paw, Nj. 224, Sturl. i. 181.

(dat. gamni), n. game, sport, pleasure, amusement; mér þykkir g. at e-u, I am amused by it; henda (sér) g. at e-u, to make game of; jötni at gamni, to the deight of the giant; taka undir í gamni, to respond in jest; hafa. e-t til gamans, to amuse oneself with.

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n., dat. gamni, (gafni, Fas. i. 176, Fms. x. 328, Bær. 9); [A. S. gomen, gamen; Engl. game; O. H. G. gaman; mid. H. G. gamen; Dan. gammen]:—game, sport, pleasure, amusement; in the sayings, lítið er ungs manns gaman; maðr er manns gaman, Hm. 46; and in the phrases, göra e-t að gamni sínu, or, sér til gamans, to do a thing for amusement; mart er sér til gamans gert, Tíma R.; jötni at gamni, Þkv. 23; var þá mest g. Egils at ræða við hana, Eg. 764; þykja g. at e-u, to make game of; þá mun Rútr hlæja ok þykja g. at, Rut will then laugh and be amused by it, Nj. 33: gaman þykir kerlingunni at móður várri, 68; henda g. at e-u, to make game of, Bs. i. 790, Þiðr. 226, Grett. 142 new Ed., Fms. xi. 109.

β. in proverbial sayings; kalt er kattar gamanið, cold is the cat’s play, i. e. she scratches; þá ferr að grána gamanið, the game begins to be rather rude; or, það fer að fara af gamanið, the game fares to be serious:—love, pleasure, poët., in the allit. phrase, hafa geð ok gaman konu, Hbl. 18, Hm. 98, 162; gamni mær undi, Hbl. 30; unna e-m gamans, Skm. 39, Fsm. 43, 51: coitus, er hann hafði-t gýgjar g., Vþm. 32.

(-s, -ir), m.

1) guest;

2) a royal retainer of inferior rank.

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m., gen. gests; pl. gestir, acc. gesti; [Ulf. gasts = ξένος; A. S. gest; Engl. guest; Germ. gast; Dan. gjæst; Swed. gäst; Lat. hostis]:

I. a guest; the original meaning of this word is a stranger, alien, cp. Lat. hostis.

β. the Guests, one division of the king’s men; the Guests were a kind of policemen, and had not the full privileges of the king’s guardsmen or hirðmenn, although they were in the king’s pay; they had their own seats in the king’s hall, the guests’ bench, gesta-bekkr, m., Fb. i. 347; their own chief, gesta-höfðingi, a, m., Nj. 7, Hkr. ii. 69, Fms. vii. 35; their own banner, gesta-merki, n., Fms. ix. 489; their own meeting, gesta-stefna, u, f., Fms. viii. 250; they formed a separate body, gesta-sveit, f., Fas. i. 318; skulu þar fylgja hirðmenn ok gestir, Ó. H. 204, in the battle at Stiklastað: a guests’ hall, gesta-skáli, a, m., is mentioned in Eg. 28, Fas. ii. 93: a ship, gesta-skip ( gesta-fley), n., Fms. viii. 139; cp. the Sagas passim, esp. the Konunga Sögur, Fms. x. 147, Hkr. passim, but esp. N. G. L. in the section Hirðs-skrá, or the law ( rules) for the king’s men, and Sks. 257 sqq. As the gestir were lower in rank than the hirðmenn, a recruit had often to serve his apprenticeship among them, e. g. var hann í gestasæti, he was seated among the guests, i. e. was held in small repute, Fas. i. 51.

II. a stranger, guest, Lat. hospes, but keeping the old notion of a stranger, prop. an accidental guest, chance comer, and is distinguished from boðs-maðr, an invited guest, or the like; hence the allit. phrase, gestr ok gangandi, a guest and ganger, since with the ancients the poor had to go from house to house (cp. gangleri); this is to be borne in mind, if one would understand old sayings such as, Guð elr gesti, God feeds guests, Bs. i. 247; or many passages in the old heathen poem Hávamál, e. g. órir gestr við gest, guest quarrels with guest, Hm. 31; gestr at gest hæðinn, guest mocking guest, 30, which reminds one of Hom. Od. xviii. 1–33; gest þú né geyja né á grind hrekir (scoff not at a guest, nor drive him to the door), get þú váluðum vel, Hm. 136, where gestr ( a guest) and válaðr ( a vagrant) are used synonymously; ganga skal, skala gestr vera æ í einum stað, 34. In olden times there were no public hostelries, and all entertainment was (as it still is in Icel.) private bounty; a fine instance of a munificent hostess of the heathen age is recorded in Landn.,—Geirríðr sparði ekki mat við menn, ok lét göra skála sinn of þjóðbraut þvera, hón sat á stóli ok laðaði úti gesti, en borð stóð inni jafnan ok matr á, 2. 13. After the introduction of Christianity, when churches were built and endowments given, the donors often imposed the duty of ‘feeding guest and ganger for a night’ (ala gest ok ganganda), Dipl. i. 169, 174; or, þar er ekki gesta eldi skylt ( it is not required to feed guests), ala hvern at ósekju er vill, 200; ala þurfa-menn ok þá er fara skylda-erinda, 201, cp. 273 passim:—gener. a visitor, guest: gesta-eldi, n. shelter for guests, D. I. (vide above): gesta-fluga, u, f. a guest-fly, a moth, Ísl. Þjóðs. i. 558: gesta-herbergi, n. a ‘guest-harbour,’ hostel, inn, Gr. καταλύμα, Luke ii. 7: gesta-hús, n. a guest-room, Sturl. i. 216, ii. 191: gesta-koma, u, f., gesta-nauð, n. a coming, crowding of guests: gesta-maðr, m. a guest-man (bishops had a special servant so called), Bs. i. 850, 876: gesta-rúm, n. a guest-bed: gesta-skáli, a, m. a guest-chamber, Hom. 36: gesta-spjót, n. pl., a cat is said to raise the ‘guest-spears’ when it lies on its back and cleans itself with its hind legs, which is a token that a stranger is at hand, Ísl. Þjóðs. i. 558.

III. as pr. names, Landn., freq.; also in compds, Þor-gestr, Heim-gestr, Goð-gestr, Hleva-gastir on the Golden horn (Bugge’s reading), and Gr. Ξενο-φών, Ξενο-φάνης. Gestr is a name of Odin = the Traveller, Edda, Vþm., Gm., Hervar. S. ch. 15 (Gestum-blindi). It is curious to notice that whereas with the Romans hostis came to mean a foe, with the Teutons (as with the Gr. ξένος) the equivalent word became a term of friendship, used of a friend staying at one’s house.

(gýt; gaut, gutum; gotinn), v.

1) g. hrognum, to spawn;

2) g. augum, sjonum, to cast a look.

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pret, gaut, pl. gutu; pres. gýtr; pret. subj. gyti; part. gotinn;, [Ulf. gjutan; A. S. geôtan; O. H. G. giuzan; Germ. giessen; Dan. gyde; Swed. giuta = to cast (of metal), but this sense is not found in the Icel.]:—to drop, throw, cast one’s young, with dat.; Icel. say kefla or kelfa (kálfr), of a cow, whale, deer; kasta, of a mare; kæpa, of a seal (kópr, a young seal;) hrygna, of a fish; gjóta, of a cat, dog, fox, mouse, and of a fish, to spawn; whence gota, spawn; got-rauf, q. v.; þá gjóta þeir hrognum sínum, Sks. 46; nýgotinn hvolpr, a new-dropped cub (dog, kitten).

2. in the phrase, gjóta augum, to twinkle, Fas. iii. 497; gjóta hornauga, to look askant.—That gjóta was originally used in a nobler sense maybe inferred from the fact that the names of two Teutonic people, the Gautar ( Gauts) and Gotar (Goths, = the born, Lat. nati) are in all likelihood derived from the same root.