saothar, m. (gs. & npl. -air, gpl. ~).1. Work, labour; toil, exertion; stress, effort. (a)Ábhar agus ~, material and labour. Lá saothair, day of toil. ~ an lae, the daily grind. Tá ~ mór déanta agat, you have done a lot of hard work. Is mór an lán dá shaothar atá ann, he has put a lot of work into it. Le ~, laboriously. Gan ~, without effort. ~ in aisce, labour in vain. ~ allamuigh, field-work. S.a. luach 3, scoil 1(c).(b)~ iomartha, stress of rowing. Ná cuir ~ ort féin leis, don’t strain yourself with it. Ná faigh a leithéid de shaothar uaidh, don’t exert yourself so much to do it. Níor chuir sé mórán saothair air féin, he didn’t exert himself very much. (c)~ anála, laboured breathing. Bhí ~ air; bhí sé ar ~, he was panting, out of breath. Ná cuir ~ anála ar an gcapall, don’t wind the horse. ~ an bháis, death-throes. (d)Ní fiú do shaothar é, it is not worth your trouble. Ná bíodh sé de shaothar ort, don’t bother to do it. Sin an ~ is lú dom, that is the least I can do. Ní bheidh a shaothar orm, I’ll do no such thing. Ní dhéanfaidh (mé é)ná a shaothar orm, indeed, I will not (do it). 2. (a) Thing done, achievement. Dhá shaothar déag Earcail, the twelve labours of Hercules. (b) Works; literary or artistic composition. ~ ealaíne, work of art. ~ Chéitinn, the works of Keating. 3. Job of destruction. Is deas an ~ atá déanta agat ar mo pheann, you have done a nice job on my pen. Rinne an oíche aréir ~, there was a lot of damage done last night. 4. Lit: Travail, pangs of childbirth. 5. ~ bradáin, process of spawning of salmon. 6. Evacuation of bowels; excrement. 7. (As vn.)Ag ~, labouring, toiling.