You know, we actually use "put down" (or, in earlier times "set down") in English with the meaning of "explain/describe," but specifically when doing it in writing (or at least we do in my neck of the woods). For example, when filling out an accident report, you might see instructions saying "put down in your own words exactly what happened). The first time I saw "cuir síos" in Irish it was being used in a similar manner (the request was from a parent who didn't understand the instructions on her child's homework assignment) and I wondered if it was a native phrase or Béarlachas.

Redwolf