# Irish Gaelic: three things to be aware of: the hoof of a horse, the horn of a bull, and the smile of an Englishman.



## Setwale_Charm

Hello folks!
Does anyone happen to know how this refrain, that is often found at the end of old Irish tales, "There are three things to be aware of: the hoof of a horse, the horn of a bull, and the smile of an Englishman" sounded in Gaelic?

Or did it? Perhaps, it is wiser to just translate it anew?


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## CapnPrep

I'm not sure how old or traditional this proverb is, but see here:


> An trí rud is dainséaraí amuigh: éadan tairbh, deireadh staile, gáire an tSasanaigh.
> _The three most dangerous things there are: the front of a bull, the back of a stallion, the laugh of an Englishman._


And in M. Tymoczko_, The Irish Ulysses_ (p. 281):


> Seachain gáire sacsanach, éadan tairbh, dranntadh madaidh, agus deireadh staile. ["Shun the smile of the Saxon, the bull's forehead, the snarling of a dog, and the hind-part of a stallion."]


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## L'irlandais

Hello,
To be honest I'd never come across that quote before.  One *on-line source* attributes it to *Seamus MacManus*


> _"There are three things to be aware of: the hoof of a horse, the horn of a bull, and the smile of an Englishman."_


Out of interest, shouldn't it be "wary of", rather than "aware of"?


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## Setwale_Charm

As a child, I often came across it in fairy tales.

Thanks a million.


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