qualtagh

qualtagh

English

WOTD – 1 January 2023

Etymology

PIE word
*ḱóm

Borrowed from Manx qualtagh, quaaltagh (“first person one meets after leaving the house; first person one meets on New Year’s Day”, literally “one who meets or is met”), from quaail (“act of meeting; a meeting”) (ultimately from Old Irish comdál, from com- (prefix meaning ‘with’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, by; near; with”)) + dál (“part, share; land in which a tribe lives”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂- (“to divide; to share”))) + -agh (suffix forming adjectives and nouns expressing belonging, a connection to, having, or an involvement with). The interfix -t- may be modelled after an unattested form of Old Irish comaltae (“foster-brother; companion”).[1]

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkwɑːltəx/, /ˈkwɑːltək/

• Audio (RP)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkwɑltək/
• (Isle of Man) IPA^(key): /ˈkweɪ(ə)ltəx/, /ˈkwɒltək/
• Hyphenation: qual‧tagh

Noun

qualtagh (plural qualtaghs)

1. (Isle of Man) The first person one encounters, either after leaving one's home or (sometimes) outside one's home, especially on New Year's Day; a first-foot.
   • [1835, Archibald Cregeen, “Quaal′tagh or Qual′tagh”, in A Dictionary of the Manks Language, with the Corresponding Words or Explanations in English; […], Douglas, Isle of Man: […] J. Quiggin, […]; Whittaker, Treacher, and Arnot, […]; Evans, Chegwin, and Hall, […], OCLC 30648905, page 132, column 2:

     A company of young lads or men, generally went in old times on what they termed the Qualtagh, at Christmas or New Year's Day to the house of their more wealthy neighbours; some one of the company repeating in an audible voice the following rhyme:– […] they were then invited in to partake of the best that the house could afford.]

   • 1845, Joseph Train, “Manners and Customs”, in An Historical and Statistical Account of the Isle of Man, from the Earliest Times to the Present Date; […], volume II, Douglas, Isle of Man: […] Mary A. Quiggin, […]; London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co., […], OCLC 963723513, page 115:

     On these occasions a person of dark complexion always enters first, as a light haired male or female is deemed unlucky to be a first-foot or quaaltagh on New Year's morning. The actors of the quaaltagh do not assume fantastic habiliments like the Mummers of England or the Guisards of Scotland, nor do they, like these rude performers of the ancient mysteries, appear ever to have been attended by minstrels playing on different kinds of musical instruments.

   • 1861, Joseph George Cumming, “Manners and Customs”, in A Guide to the Isle of Man with the Means of Access thereto and an Introduction to Its Scenery: […], London: Edward Stanford, […], OCLC 558130956, page 22:

     The Manx attach great importance to the qualtagh, or first person met with on the occurrence of any particularly important event, as in going to the fishery, the first day of the new year, a birth-day or a christening. On these occasions, in order to insure good luck or to avert an evil eye, they make a present of food or drink to the person met. The present Bishop of Bath and Wells, when Bishop of Sodor and Man, upon one occasion was the qualtagh of a poor christening party, […] and very kindly partook of their humble offering.

   • 1875, Oscar Harrison, The Isle-iad; or, King Orry’s Banquet. A Fragment of a Mankish Tale, Douglas, Isle of Man: James Brown & Co., page 59; quoted in Joseph Wright, editor, The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volume IV (M–Q), London: Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, 1903, OCLC 81937840, page 667, column 1:

     Who would the ‘Qualtagh’ to a parish be?

   • 1887, Hugh Coleman Davidson, “Suspense”, in The Green Hills by the Sea: A Manx Story […], volume III, London: Hurst and Blackett, […], OCLC 77213159, pages 4–5:

     On New Year's Eve there occurred an incident which greatly increased the tension at Claddagh House. Mrs. Colquitt was in a painful state of agitation about the quaaltagh, or first person who should cross the threshold after midnight. If he happened to be dark, she anticipated some wonderful slice of luck; if light, a continuance of misfortune; and if a spaagaght or splay-footed person, nothing short of a calamity. […] [S]he kept trotting up and downstairs, being imperatively urged to confide to Mona her wish that the quaaltagh might be somebody she had just thought of, a different somebody each time.

   • 1892 March, John Rhys, “Manx Folk-lore and Superstitions. II.”, in Folk-lore: A Quarterly Review of Myth, Tradition, Institution, & Custom, volume III, number I, London: David Nutt, […], OCLC 7644078, pages 79 and 90:

     [page 79] At present New Year's Day is the time when the qualtagh is of general interest, and in this case he is practically the first person one sees (besides the members of one's own household) on the morning of that day, whether that person meets one out of doors or comes to one's house. The following is what I have learnt by inquiry as to the qualtagh: all are agreed that he must not be a woman or girl, […]. The prevalent belief, however, is that he should be a dark-haired man or boy, […] An English lady living in the neighbourhood of Castletown told me that her son, whom I know to be, like his mother, a pronounced blond, […] called at a house in Castletown on the morning of New Year's Day, and he chanced to be the qualtagh. The mistress of the house was horrified, and expressed her anticipation of misfortunes to the English lady; […] [page 90] Mr. [Alfred] Nutt: […] [I]f red-haired and splay-footed people, the qualtaghs were not likely women of the aboriginal race, i.e., assuming this race to have been a dark, small, high-instepped one.

   • 1894 January–July, Hall Caine, chapter II, in The Manxman, London: William Heinemann, published 3 August 1894 (1 September 1894 printing), OCLC 1835024, part II (Boy and Girl), page 71:

     "I should be the first-foot here, only I'm no use as a qualtagh," said Philip. / "Why not?" / "I'm a fair man, and would bring you no luck, you know."

   • 1911, John Clague, Cooinaghtyn Manninagh: Manx Reminiscences, Castletown, Isle of Man: M. J. Backwell, OCLC 559417614, page 11:

     The "White Boys," the "Hunt the Wren Boys," and "Quaaltaghs" received the dessert.

   • 1966, Mona Douglas, “The Foolish Fortnight and the Qualtagh Tradition”, in This is Ellan Vannin again: Folklore, Douglas, Isle of Man: Times Press, OCLC 159143, page 84:

     The Foolish Fortnight and its gaieties may have been relinquished under the relentless pressure of modern life as we choose to live it, but at least one of the old New Year rituals is still quite vigorous amongst us – the Qualtagh, or First Foot.

   • 1977, Jennifer Kewley Draskau, quoting John Gell, “Verbs”, in Practical Manx, Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, published 2008, →ISBN, page 126:

     Did you ever use to go as the ‘quaaltagh?’ […] I did indeed!

Alternative forms

• quaaltagh

Translations

first person one encounters, either after leaving one’s home or (sometimes) outside one’s home, especially on New Year’s Day — See also translations at first-foot

See also

• first footing

References

1. “quaaltagh, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022; “quaaltagh, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

• first-foot on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Joseph Wright, editor (1903), “QUALTAGH, sb.”, in The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volume IV (M–Q), London: Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, OCLC 81937840, page 667, column 1.
• qualtagh in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911

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Manx

Etymology

PIE word
*ḱóm

From quaail (“act of meeting; a meeting”) (ultimately from Old Irish comdál, from com- (prefix meaning ‘with’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, by; near; with”)) + dál (“part, share; land in which a tribe lives”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂- (“to divide; to share”))) + -agh (suffix forming adjectives and nouns expressing belonging, a connection to, having, or an involvement with). The interfix -t- may be modelled after an unattested form of Old Irish comaltae (“foster-brother; companion”).[1]

Noun

qualtagh m (genitive singular [please provide], plural [please provide])

1. the first individual a person meets after leaving their house

Mutation

Manx mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
qualtagh	whaltagh	gualtagh
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Alternative forms

• quaaltagh

Descendants

• → English: qualtagh

References

1. “quaaltagh, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022; “quaaltagh, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.