The CBB

jimydog000 wrote: ↑18 Sep 2020 18:28 Does it have anything to do with water?

Yes, the phrase does have something to do with water.

Does it have anything to do with puppies?

Or little dogs?

Or little Caniformia?

Or mammals?

Or anything that exhibits some kind of dog-like behavior?

It's not a diminutive type of cloud like a cumulus cloud is it?

eldin raigmore wrote: ↑18 Sep 2020 23:27 Does it have anything to do with puppies?

Or little dogs?

Or little Caniformia?

Or mammals?

eldin raigmore wrote: ↑18 Sep 2020 23:27 Or anything that exhibits some kind of dog-like behavior?

I'm inclined to say "no", but "dog-like behavior" is rather vague, and I can't claim to be an expert on the referent of this phrase, so I suppose it's possible. However, I don't believe that trying to think of something that "exhibits some kind of dog-like behavior" will be helpful in determining the meaning.

jimydog000 wrote: ↑19 Sep 2020 06:50 It's not a diminutive type of cloud like a cumulus cloud is it?

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I don't know if this has ever been a hard-and-fast rule, but might I request that, going forward, participants try to limit themselves to at most two questions per post?

Word: cainlha netun [ˈkãj̃ʎa neˈtũ]

shimobaatar wrote: ↑12 Sep 2020 19:33 the first word is from canīcula/canīculam and the second is from Neptūnus/Neptūnum.

Is the first word supposed to be of diminutive form?

jimydog000 wrote: ↑19 Sep 2020 15:21 Is the first word supposed to be of diminutive form?

Synchronically, no.

Two questions seems reasonable.

Is cainlha netun "dogfish"?

If not, is the meaning related to the word canicule = "dog days" = height of summer?

Jackk wrote: ↑19 Sep 2020 18:39 Is cainlha netun "dogfish"?

Hmm, how can I put this?

No, that's not what the phrase means.

However, with "dogfish", you're on the right track in terms of just the first word, cainlha.

Jackk wrote: ↑19 Sep 2020 18:39 If not, is the meaning related to the word canicule = "dog days" = height of summer?

Which is to say, synchronically <cainlha> means "dogfish"?

Or does it refer to some other fish?

Catfish?

I happened to watch an episode on QI about that

Jackk wrote: ↑19 Sep 2020 18:51 Which is to say, synchronically <cainlha> means "dogfish"?

No, but it's pretty close. Sorry, I should have been more clear.

Jackk wrote: ↑19 Sep 2020 18:51 Or does it refer to some other fish?

jimydog000 wrote: ↑19 Sep 2020 19:11 Catfish?

Assuming this is not against a rule.

Can <Cainlha> be used as a word on its own?

jimydog000 wrote: ↑19 Sep 2020 19:28 Assuming this is not against a rule.

Can <Cainlha> be used as a word on its own?

Oh no, you're fine!

cainlha and netun can both be used as individual words on their own, and typically are. They're both nouns, although here, netun is acting more like an adjective.

<Cainlha> Is a mammal?

Does <Netun> mean, of the sea? In the context of being the second word.

jimydog000 wrote: ↑20 Sep 2020 21:05 <Cainlha> Is a mammal?

It's close in meaning to "dogfish".

jimydog000 wrote: ↑20 Sep 2020 21:05 Does <Netun> mean, of the sea? In the context of being the second word.

netun has nothing to do with the sea, neither on its own nor in the context of this phrase.

Neptune was also god of horses and earthquakes.

If netun comes from Neptune,
maybe the phrase refers to Dalmatians, or other coach-dogs?

Or maybe it’s a nickname for seismographs or seismologists?


Or seahorse? That’s a kind of fish, right?

Guessing that “cainlha” refers to a certain genera of shark, like its Galican cognate quenlla, does netun mean “blue” roguhly, hence, the blue shark?

eldin raigmore wrote: ↑21 Sep 2020 00:14 Neptune was also god of horses and earthquakes.

If netun comes from Neptune,
maybe the phrase refers to Dalmatians, or other coach-dogs?

eldin raigmore wrote: ↑21 Sep 2020 00:14 Or maybe it’s a nickname for seismographs or seismologists?

eldin raigmore wrote: ↑21 Sep 2020 00:14 Or seahorse? That’s a kind of fish, right?

I don't know if seahorses count as fish or not, but in any case, that's not what this phrase means.

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qwed117 wrote: ↑21 Sep 2020 01:31 Guessing that “cainlha” refers to a certain genera of shark, like its Galican cognate quenlla,

Although I'd say that "a certain genus" or "certain genera" would even be too specific. It just means "shark". The Galician word was my direct "inspiration" here, so to speak.

qwed117 wrote: ↑21 Sep 2020 01:31 does netun mean “blue” roguhly, hence, the blue shark?

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Recap:

cainlha
[ˈkãj̃ʎa]

• "shark"
• The head of this noun phrase.
• A noun.
• Descended from Classical Latin canīcula, canīculam.

netun
[neˈtũ]

• Acting as an adjective modifying cainlha in this phrase.
• Typically a noun on its own.
• Descended from Classical Latin Neptūnus, Neptūnum.
• Not a proper noun.
• Has nothing to do with water or the ocean.
• Has nothing to do with the planet Neptune.

I'm not sure how a god could become the word for blue, but.

Blue Shark?

Whaleshark?

Something something "trident" something something...
Hammerhead shark?