Irish Slang Words, Jokes, Funny Irish images, Irish memes, Irish Sayings, Irish Slang Terms, Irish Phrases and more. Fluthered. Legend says that if you find one each leaf has a meaning. 3. If you ever get lost in a familiar neighborhood in Ireland, dont be too offended when your Irish friend calls you an, Commonly used in the UK and Ireland, a gaffer is colloquially termed as ones boss, your old man, or a foreman. Thank you for sharing those great Irish slang words with us :) Brilliant. For example, Hes a gowl and a half that boy. Theyre unreal. I heard theyre performing good trade at the old marketplace. Our Nature Reserves . meaning leg covering. For example, Bout ye, chief! An old Irish slang word used to describe someone thats a chancer. Bookmarked it. Andrew Spacey from Sheffield, UK on June 22, 2012: Lovely hub. The post on Instagram unearthed a good chunk of Irish slang words that Id never heard of. You are destined for success in writing. Thanks for the fun hub! If you arrive in Ireland and ask someone for the restroom, it is a social suicide. You can describe a person or a situation as bang on. We do use many weird and wonderful words don't we!! On the other hand, "sure look" is a perfect collocation to fill an awkward pause. 10. Translation: Face. 3. Voting up and useful..thank you for sharing :). You can use give it a lash in a heap of different ways. Interesting on it being close to Essex slang, that's a new one . Thanks for sharing. Derived from the Irish Gaelic word brog, a shoe, or from Old Norse, broc, meaning leg covering. And I made perfect score too. I love it. This next section covers the more common, everyday Irish sayings and phrases that tend to pop up in conversation frequently. You know that feeling you get when youve enjoyed a fairly big Tuesday night in a club, and then stumble into work the next morning after downing six espresso shots at the nearest Starbucks? Youre looking well!, For example, Ah, Kayla. Wise up Mon well . It all depends on the mood or context of your sentence or idea. For example, Ah, nice one! said Karen, as she took the bag of chips from Kate. E's . It refers to a young Irish girl, or a lass, in Scottish tongues. Thanks for sharing and passing this on. For example, That chicken fillet roll was class. it might be a term of endearment. Teresa Kennedy Harris on August 19, 2018: Very helpful for my book that is based out of Dingle Ireland, and I am a California girl! Faffin - a comical Irish phrase. I recently went to Newfoundland, and they have a lot of different slang words also. Theres no way Im waiting for a bus in that. Cheers, thanks a million. No worries. Thanks. The word 'gas' is Irish slang for funny. Its just right across the block, and they serve delightful, Irish Slang Word #30: Cup of scald, or Cha, I have read and agree to the terms & conditions. @ !!!! 2. E nglish is the de facto national language of Britain, but that doesn't mean you'll take to the vernacular like a duck to water. For example, He got a taxi home with us and hopped out without giving us any money towards it. I Voted UP and all the way on this hub. 9. And it has further connotations: a ciotach is regarded as a strange person, a strange one, or perhaps, touched by the Devil himself. Irishmen and women, with shamrock and four-clover leaves, are fans of good luck. Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on July 01, 2012: Hi annart, Thanks so much for reading and voting, appreciate your comments! Slinte! Hi ya oh he from the Samui isle!! A two-day short trip around the. you are very welcome to hear the truth about your amazing writing from me any day. Glad you found hilarious! Ah, QUALITY. On your trip to a nearby pub in Ireland, you might hear most young Irishmen refer to their fathers as their gaffer. For example, Sure look, what can ye do?!. Tame. Weather type: Light rain. Did you go to Trinners to do your degree? Free burgers. Brutal. We have to go to Clonakilty. Yet, still, it is used in a mocking mannerwith a hint of affection. Standard English: 'That was a great score'; 'He's a great guy'. Someone who is driven by anxiousness, waiting for something to occur. Much fun was had compiling our unusual language here!! It could also denote a place where cheap entertainment can be availed. Ah, deadly. Deadly doesnt mean dangerous and Class isnt always used to describe a lesson. I met a local once at a pub during our extended trip in, This word is as pretty as it sounds. To take a gander at the beautiful golden beaches of Ireland is a fun and relaxing idea. The term Paddy Wagon derives from the idea that the Irish were all criminals, and when the police came to quell a brawl or something of the like, they would just be rounding up a bunch of "paddys." Plastic Paddy: Irish: Term used by the Irish describing those who grew up in the a foreign country (specifically the UK) and still identify as being . .maybe a hub! Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on October 02, 2012: Like your use of a bit of slang, your are coming on grand and soon you will be suckin diesel me ol' flower! Hope this helps! :P Reall fun and great craic ;). Quare If you hear someone refer to a person as a Fine thing, it generally means they find that person attractive. These meanings portray left-hand people as weird outcasts of or Irish society. Now. At the moment, it is the primary language of a mere 72,000 people. What a tool!. . For example, I clipped the wing mirror off the pillar yesterday. I have a friend called Mayo Declan thats a master at this. Sentence: run down has the bant and gets it off him. I lived in NZ for a year and did not hear any Aussies use them either. Down the Swanee : - Down the drain. In Irish Gaelic, it's Is do mhac do mhac inni, ach is d'inon d'inon go deo. For example, He spends his day going between the bookies and the pub. The word crack came from the Middle English term crak, meaning loud, bragging conversation. In Irish and UK slang, a dosser is someone who prefers to relax all day, a lazy person, in simpler terms. But in Ireland, when you say someone is on tenterhooks, it means they are at the edge of something agitating. Faffing means to do something without actually doing anything. Culchie is the term people who live in Dublin use to refer to someone who lives in the rural areas outside the city. Jammy basically means lucky. Pamela Oglesby from Sunny Florida on September 14, 2012: Great information Suzie HQ. I enjoyed reading them. We got back from the pub at half 2 but we were up until 7 having the craic. May the blessings of St. Patrick behold you. Its another one for very drunk people. In Irish slang words, if your parents are away for the night, or for a day or two, you go to someones gaff to have a party or a sleep-over. 2. This term is used to describe something that is very small. Yoke more or less means 'thing' but it's use and meaning can very ambiguous. Jo Maxi simply means taxi. Hes from Malahide, but hes dead on. This word is used as a verb and it means to make a joke at someone elses expense. LMAO! Often used in a derogatory context. My father has a brogue Yorkshire accent that he couldnt seem to get rid of; despite his three-decade stay in London, he sounds like a native York. This is another for describing someone thats heavily intoxicated. For example,Their kitchen is manky. Screwball - Unhinged, mad. It generally means house, and more often used by Irish, Scottish, and English teenagers and young adults. Hard neck this means cheek. The black stuffs spilling from your gob, laddie. Voted up and across. Jar - is slang for a pint of beer. However, it can also be an indication that the person youre speaking to is either 1, uninterested in what youre saying, or 2, has no idea how to respond to what youve just said. Had fun compiling, thinking there really is soooo many, where did they all come from?!! Yoke - A word used instead of saying "thing". Anyhow, while the prisoners were locked in their cell they used to talk out of their windows while sticking their neck out. For example, All them lads do is sit in and play the Xbox. Irish Slang and Phrases explained. Jo Maxi simply means, In Ireland, if you have to use the toilet, you might need to go to the, Whenever somebody feels embarrassed or flustered, some peoples cheeks turn red or. It describes a situation or a person thats no fun. In Ireland, if you have to use the toilet, you might need to go to the jacks. Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 29, 2012: Ha!! If you hear a barrage of swear words coming from an Irish person and ask them what's wrong, it's likely they'll reply "The F$@ %&*! The pubs right in front of our gaff! "Sleeven" A sleeven is a sly or underhanded person. It is also used as Irish slang meaning "throw" (e.g. Tell them to wind their neck in. or perhaps, touched by the Devil himself. A nasty ciotog he. Example: "My mate's birthday party was good craic.". Funny you say you have never been here, you sound very Irish!! I said like alllllllllll of these to people I know and they were soooooooooo confused. Sassenach - From the Gaelic word sasunnach, meaning Saxon, and used to describe non-Gaelic speaking Scottish Lowlanders (and our English friends). The word colleen is derived from the old Irish Gaelic term cailin which means girl or maiden. Or mor ya or mauryah in Irish English, it is a derisive interjection that can be properly translated as Yeah, right in the US English language slang or bullocks in the UK. Gamers actually use this term quite a lot, with the same meaning and context. Banjaxed. Bags (to make a bags of something) Bang on. During your trip, if an Irish local or your best friend calls you their acushla, dont be too flattered! Read: I absolutely will not be doing that. Its pure shit out. Scundered/scunnered - different meanings depending on your location. 30 Irish Slang Words Every Visitor Should Learn Before Visiting Ireland, , if you and your friends have a couple of more rounds, the best Irish chant for c, Its not literally black, but you guessed it righta strong pint of this famous, Addressing your darling or Irish sweetheart from Ireland will never be as soft and endearing as the Irish term. No, we don't mean the fuel. So in the days of the telegraph and before everyone had phones. The word manky is used to describe something thats dirty. If someone told me they were shattered, I'd think they were drunk not tired! Quare. What are some words youd use to describe different scents? You see that poor painter, begging for scraps? Doing a line : - Courting, seeing someone. Used to describe someone thats annoying. Likely to be severely hungover the following morning. Locked. Alex Vog/Shutterstock You may recognize this popular blessing (in Irish Gaelic: Go n-ir an bthar leat) from Catholic weddings or on cross-stitched pillows in your nan's house.. One of the main characteristics of Celtic Christianity is the use of images of nature to show how God interacts with people. That was a . Lets get out for a dander and get some fresh air. Bate - To be completely exhausted and out of energy. I am so glad you enjoyed this compilation of Irish slang. Talk about a dope. Mainly when Im speaking to a non-Irish person and I forget that the words Im using actually areslang. For example,She won money down the bingo again this week. One can say that the English language is deeply ingrained in the blood of. .OMG, how did that one escape me? 4. "wind your neck in" was often a phrase of banter. Good God its just dawned on me how many Irish sayings there are for describing manky weather! I missed ye. Im a pure irish woman, born and raised ,im surprised ,ive heard all of these but the most common ive heard are ,acting the maggot ,craic, ejit ,black stuff ,eff off ,feck off, and lots more . It's an odd pronunciation of "queer," but it's used as a replacement for "very.". meaning loud, bragging conversation. It's easy enough to see the words now, but to hear them - that's a whole different story. Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 28, 2012: Thought there was a hint of the 'ol Irish charm there!! This is another female-specific word thats reasonably offensive. Its used to describe a bad case of something, for example, Ive been lashing in the tablets all week. For example, Shane, hows the form?! A cute hoor is used to describe someone thats relatively crafty and thats able to mould a situation to benefit themself. For example, Hes only a goon that lad. Youll generally hear people use this when describing how long its been since theyve seen someone, or how long its been since theyve done something. A lesser-known, archaic, but still used term of endearment in some literary referencesit literally means little treasure. The suffix een denotes something diminutive or little in size. If youve read our detailed guide to Irish insults, youll have an idea of the types of slags that Irish people throw at each other. For example, Youll be getting off your hole and emptying the bins in 5 minutes. You can also say Give me a go. as in put the kettle on and we'll have a wee cup of tea. Its alternate meaning is of a foolish person or a simpleton. May the Irish hills caress you. Its a good day for drying. Commonly used in England where Irish immigrants did much of the manual labour. For example, That car needs a good clean. " You're an awful snake (pronounced shnaake) " - Translation: you're a sneaky person, but I like you. Craic - a good time. On your next, The term is derived from a teenage Irish entertainment show that commonly reported teenage issues. This is a popular blessing oftentimes used in Catholic weddings or cross-stitched pillows. Its lashing down.. , and more often used by Irish, Scottish, and English teenagers and young adults. Fair play is an Irish expression used to congratulate someone. An exam you take when you are 10/11 to determine which secondary school you will go to Egzamin dla 11-latkw. This is one of the most typical Irish slang phrases you can hear from any Irish person. But a chancer is a person who pushes their luck a wee too much. Weather type: Rainey. Have you heard of the new band from across the block? So you would go to get your messages and pick up any shopping you might need. It can refer to a person, "He's gas!" or a situation "That's gas!". Another tame one. Is there any way to just say very or really? We use it all the time but foreigners would not know it is the slang for our police, Shared on Twitter and voted awesome and useful. Great hub and I enjoyed reading it. Poke - (to poke - to prod) (a poke - a paper bag) Reek - Smell, emit smoke. For example, I saw you chatting to him for about 4 hours. Im giving the word craic its own section, as there are heaps of different ways that it can be used. This isnt slang find out what it means here. Do you know these British insults, slangs and phrases? Ah, another Irish phrase that uses a word thats actually meant to describe something hazardous to describe something brilliant. A shorter and a fancier way of asking for an Irish local to have a cup of tea with you at your local tea shop is by asking them, Care for a cup of cha? Lets enjoy the view! It was a fun hub to write, us Irish are good at making fun (polite term!!) If Americans have fries, and English people from the UK have chips, in Ireland, you might want to order a. as a side dish. Its worth noting that when someone says that theyre grand, they may not necessarily be so. Youll often hear Irish people refer to a person or a situation as Gas. I turned scarlet when he saw me picking my nose, ugh! The word crack came from the Middle English term. . But much stronger. Here, I have highlighted the most commonly heard words, their meanings, and provided examples of how they are used in everyday speech. 10 Yonks. Know more? Grand generally means "OK" or "fine". Rich from Kentucky on September 14, 2012: And I thought the Irish spoke English! It only took her 4 years. A Galway term for prison, e.g 'don't steal, you'll end up in the clinker' Cop on 'Cop on' is a general catch-all term for having common sense or intelligence in any situation. Howsagoin?! Act the maggot is a verb that means to mess around, by behaving foolishly, for example, or by avoiding work. Dive on in below! Try these handy Irish phrases to fit right in: " Stop acting the maggot " - Acting in a foolish manner. Theyre a pair of dryshites. Now, for our American readers when we say dope in Ireland, were not talking about anything dodgy. Banjaxed is another lovely Irish expression. Bold. If youre from Dublin, you tend to refer to anyone that lives outside of Dublin as A culchie. Actually they do exist although they are rare! Funny reading that as I have taught Irish slang to students abroad :). It usually refers to two thingsthe first is a heavy accent of a certain dialect or a shoe made of untanned leather. My gaffer and mums currently staying at Dromoland Castle Hotel in County Clare. 19. A lot of uses, most popular are: reply to how are you, how are you feeling, being told of a decision, We will meet you there - " Grand "; Dinner will be 10 minutes - " Grand ", I had a quick kip before dinner; It was a real kip of a hotel, Three meanings: to rain hard, to make an attempt at something or to go out drinking, It was lashing out of the heavens, Give it a lash or Let's go on the lash Saturday, I was mortified when I realised my mistake, Very difficult or to really want to do something, Finding a taxi was murder, I could murder a Guinness. It basically means a long time. Tenterhooks are hooks used to fasten cloth, either on a wall or a frame, for drying. Grand: means good and is used up North and down South. If you have an Irish expression that you need to be explained, pop it in the comments section below and Ill get back to you. Someone who is driven by anxiousness, waiting for something to occur. lemonkerdz from LIMA, PERU on November 06, 2012: man i loved this article, my family came from Swords in ireland, although i have never been, but it was amazing to read a lot of expressions that me and my brothers use are in your irish slang words..and the others.well we learned them from watching "Father Ted" bless him, he opened up ireland to the world. Looking for a slang or colloquial term for farmer. Acting the maggot - Acting in a particularly foolish manner. Ive heard this one a lot less in recent years. For example, Its a grand aul day today Mary. Thanks for stopping by! 'Will you look at the state of her over there, theres more meat on a hamster, the skinny malink.' Also common slang term for a member of Canada's Conservative party. Yes, savage is also Irish slang for good. It stems from the English noun grudgeand as you can hear from Irish conversations, the persons who use this term usually hold a grudge towards the persons they are referring to, or, they just simply are complaining about their rough situation in life. 'Mucker'- an endearing term to describe a friend. Read on to learn to talk like the locals or maybe just understand what they're saying to you! livingabroad from Wales, UK on June 19, 2012: What about "to be sure, to be sure"? Although, it might be fun as a joke. Kenneth Avery from Hamilton, Alabama on June 28, 2012: @ Susie Q . I had a wonderful laugh to begin my day withthank you! Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 24, 2012: Delighted it gave laughter to start the day, billybuc!! I spent a lot of time nodding and smiling, and then admitting I had no idea what they were talking about. Hes a bleedin melter.. For example, Here. For example, That lad keeps on texting me. The next time you visit the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin, you might befriend a couple of colleens studying horticulture. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the drunken Irish stereotype, there are several different words in Irish slang that all mean drunk. Thanks very much for your comments, much appreciated this part of the globe! Up to 90 means flat out busy doing something. LOL. Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on April 25, 2013: Many thanks hope it made some sense to you! Glad you found it interesting and came upon words you recognised. This word is pronounced as "slaan-sha". In Ireland, many of us use slang words so often that we forget theyre actually slang, for example, Thanks a million makes absolutely zero sense to non-Irish people (or so my non-Irish friends tell me!). Specially something rancid, What would be the slang for "let's get drunk?". But be wary if a stranger addresses you with this term at the middle of the night. Irish Slang Word #22: Deadly or Savage What it means: A more extreme way of saying awesome in Irish slang is deadly or savage. That young lad was in here last night acting the maggot. nice wan yea, cyerafter. So many cultures adopt their own language as if in code it seems! Craic is an Irish word that can be translated to mean "fun," "enjoyment," or "good times.". Rattletrap. Wind yer neck in . Having the craic means the person was out having fun, for example, Ah, man, Im dying. 'Our kid'- strictly reserved for close family, or friends who are like family, age does not come into it. Boxin' the fox : - Robbing an orchard. In the guide below, you'll find LOOOOOOOADS of Irish insults and Irish curse words (or 'cuss words', for ye Americans). For example, Did you see what she posted on Facebook?! Here's a list of redneck words and their meanings to help you understand exactly what is being said. Hes a sound lad. A couple of trad music sessions are commonly found in local pubs and public areas around Ireland. Take it from this Irishwoman though: you shouldn't go around Dublin calling people "eejits" anytime soon. Had fun reading all the slang words, some familiar, some not so. That basically means that you did something EXTREMELY embarrassing and should probably be disowned. Still smiling over some of the expressions! I could understand words like Banjaxxed and Poxy causing hassle, but I couldnt get over that Giving out didnt make sense. "Sure look" fits practically everywhere because of its meaning. The craic was 90. Stop being a dosser, man! Fair play to her. Ill never forget my stay in Ireland. This is fantastic!! For example, Hes an awful latchio. (Term of endearment), A state of discontentment, envy, or sometimes, wishing of ill will for those who achieve success on a friend or a person of higher power or authority. 4. Whenever somebody feels embarrassed or flustered, some peoples cheeks turn red or scarlet. That gentleman is a member of the terrorist group called Irish Republican Army On jest terroryst z IRA. The word Yoke is used to describe something. I use this one a lot. The Hub (n.): haven't you noticed; Boston is the center of the universe. 2. It is amazing how many of these slang words we use daily here in Dublin lol. Chancers like you and your friends wont have a hard time finding the perfect wave. Wind yer neck in - shut up. This guide will help you understand how these words were formed, and how theyre used in your first or next visit to Ireland. Positive thinking, Southern style. It basically means be quiet!. Some instruments commonly used for trad music are the fiddle, the flute and the whistle, Uilleann pipes, harp, accordion, banjo, mandolin, and harmonica.