Everyday English and slang in Ireland

Everyday English and Slang in Ireland

Top of the morning to ya! Welcome to a grand award-winning web site, filling up full of flowery Oirish English.

Ages (n): long time

Arse (n): backside

Arseways (a): "I did it all arseways" = I made a complete mess of it!

Aul Man (n): father

Aul Wan (n): mother

Babby (n): little child - baby

Banjaxed (a): broken, no good

Barm brack (n): cake eaten at holloween, from gaelic bareen brack = a feckled cake

Barrelling (v): rushing around (with purpose?)

Begorrah (exclam): be god (no self-respecting Irish person says this. Sorry, Hollywood)

Bejappers (exclam): as above

Blather (v): talk

Bog (n): country area - where culchies come from

Bold (a): naughty Bollocks (n): anyone you think is stupid

Boozer (n): pub

Boreen (n): narrow lane or road

Bouzzie (n): young good-for-nothing, who hangs around on street corners

Boxin' the fox (phr): robbing an orchard

Boyo (n): a bit of a lad

Brasser (n): woman of ill repute, who charges but a brass coin for her services

Chancer (n): dodgy/risky character

Chinwag (n): a chat

Chipper (n): fish and chip shop

Chiseller (n): young child

Clatter (n): slap

Cod (v): having someone on, as in: "Aw, g'wan, yer only coddin' me"

Colcannon (v): Mashed potatoes, cabbage or kale & butter, served at halloween

Cop on (to yourself) (v): get a life/don't be so stupid

Cooker (n): stove

Covers (n): bedclothes

Craic (n): (pronounced crack) fun time and good conversation

Culchie (n): a city dweller's name for a country person

Da (n): father

Deadly (a): very cool

Dear (adj): expensive

Delph (n): crockery, cups, saucers etc

Desperate (adj): terrible

Diddies (n): breasts

Divil (n): devil

Dosser (n): layabout, useless

Dote (n): a lovely little thing, usually a baby

Doxie (n): a lady of the night who plies her trade on the docks

Eejit (n): idiot

Eccer (n): homework (from exercises)

F-word (n,a,v, etc.): used freely, mostly for strengthening an adjective.

Fag (n): cigarette

Fair play to ya! : well done!

Feck (n): used instead of the other F word

Fecky the Ninth (n): complete idiot

Fib (n): a lie

Flicks (n): movies, pictures

Flitters (a): tattered and torn

Fluthered (a): drunk

Follier-upper (n): a serial at the pictures (movies). To be continued ...

Foostering (n): wasting time

Fry (n): fried breakfast (typically sausage, bacon, eggs and pudding)

Gaff (n): house

Gallery (n): great fun, someone is a gallery-entertaining person- a mad laugh

Gameball (exclam): OK

Gas (a): funny

Gawk (v): stare

Gee (n): female genitalia (hard G sound)

Get off with (someone) (ph): make out

Gick (n): shit

Git (n): rotten person

a Go (n): turn

Gob (n): mouth, as in: "shut your gob"

Gobshite (n): idiot

Gobsmacked (a): very surprised

Go-car (n): baby's pushchair

Gollier (n): a big, fat spit of phlegmy stuff

Grand (a): fine, nice

Guard (n): policeman

Guff (n): nonsense - ta, frank!

Gullier (n): a large marble used when playing along the road kerb

Gurrier (n): lout, hooligan

Hard Neck (n): cheek

Hardchaw (n): rough person, the type who's ready for a fight at the drop of a hat - "Yeah you, wha' ya lookin' a?"

Header (n): nutcase, unstable person

Heel (n): the first or last slice of a loaf of bread

Holliers (n): holidays!

Hooley (n): party or celebration

Hoor (n): whore

Hoor's Melt (n): private part of a hoor

Hot Press (n): airing cupboard, where the hot water geyser is.

Howya : "how are you?" - typical greeting

Hump, the (n): sulking

I will in me ring (phr): certainly not!

I am in me wick (phr): you must be joking!

Jackeen (n): a culchie's name for a Dubliner

Jayzuz (exclam):

Jesus Jacks (n): toilet

Jaded (a): very tired, knackered

Jam on your egg (n): wishful thinking; will never happen

Janey Mack! (exclam): Gosh, really?

Juicy (a): cute

Knacker (n): gypsy, travelling person

Knackered (v): very tired

Knick-knacking (v): ringing a doorbell and running away

Langer (n): penis

Langers (a): drunk

Lashing (v): raining hard

Lay off! (exclam): leave me alone, stop it!

Letting on (v): pretending

Local, the (n): the nearest pub

Longers (n): long trousers

Ma (n): mother

Maggot, Stop acting the ... (ph): stop messin' around

Manky (a): filthy dirty

Mary Hick, Mary Banger (n): unfashionable female

Melted (a): very tired

Mentaller (a): crazy guy

Me ould segotia, me ould sweat (n): best friend

Messages (n): shopping, groceries

Messing (v): playing around

Mickey (n): child's name for a penis

Milling (v): fighting

Mitch (v): bunk school

Mortaller (n): mortal sin

Mortified (a): embarassed, usually said by your ma

Mot (n): girlfriend

Motherless (a): drunk

Nickser (n): odd job

Odds (n): loose change

Old Lady (n): mother

Old Man (n): father

Omadhaun (n): bit of a fool

On the never never (n): On Hire Purchase

One and One (n): fish and chips i.e. One and One Cod

Paraletic (a): very drunk

Pictures (n): movies

Piss in the Beds (n): dandeloins

Poteen (n): illegal spirits

Press (n): cupboard

Puck (n): punch

Quare (n): queer or strange as in "he's a quare one, alright"

Rapid (a): amazing

Rashers (n): pieces of bacon

Reddener (n): blush

Reef (v): beat (a person) up

Ride: (n) an attractive person (v) to have sex

Root (v): search

Rossie (n): brat

Sap (n): wimp

Scab (n&v): one who scabs (constantly borrows or tries to get freebies) scabby, stingy

Scallion (n): spring onion

Scalped (v): to get a short haircut

Scanger (n): stupid female

Scarlet (a): blushing

Scram! : go away!

Scrubber (n): female of low morals

Scutters (n): diarrhoea

Shenanagans (n): carry-on/horse-play

Shore (n): outside ( your kitchen door) drain

Single (n): packet of chips

Slagging (v): having someone on, making fun of them

Slapper (n): female nerd, scrubber/slut?

Slash (n&v): "to take a slash"= to piss, to urinate

Sleeveen (n): a sly type, pinch the eyes out of your head

Slinjing (v): dragging your heels

Snapper (n): child

Snog (v): make out with or get off with (someone)

Spa (n): someone who hasn't got good co-ordination

Squizz (n): a look-see

Sound (a): really good

Stop the lights! : jayzuz, really?!

Stocious (a): drunk as a lord

Stung (a): embarrassed

Thick (n)/(a): idiot/stupid

Tool (n): idiot

Trap (n): mouth

Thunder & Lightning (n): knock like thunder, run like lightning: knocking at a door and running away

Up the pole : pregnant

Up the yard! : be off with ya!

Up to ninety : (as in so 'n' so is ...) near boiling point, ready to explode

Wagon (n): ugly female

Whist (v): keep quiet