Extant Irish terms

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Used in several past-tense verb forms.

• 'I'm after winning the lotto' means 'I won the lotto.'
• 'I was after winning the lotto' means 'I had won the lotto.'

[See you] after

[See you] later

[Tell her I was] askin' after [her]

Not so much 'inquiring about' as 'sending regards,' whether a mere 'say hello to' or a more-serious 'tell him/her [on my behalf] to get well.'

And (me [etc.] [doing something]) ...

'It was half-four and me coming out of there...'

And the rest.

You can say that again.

Agreement in full

Anything strange?

What's new?

Usually pronounced 'ent'n strange?'

Amn't I?

Aren't I?

Not so much a question as a general greeting, in a shop or pub.

Roughly translated: 'May I help you?' One response is 'could I have a Guinness, please.' There is no rude connotation in the phrase. In a late club, 'Y'alright, lads, please' means it's time to clear out.

Ask me bollocks

Bullshit

'If you want to know the answer, you'll have to question my testicles' — either Podge or Rodge.

At nothin'

Wasting your time, effort, etc.

'... at nutn' ...

Be rid of

'I think he'll just be glad to see the back of ya.'

Banjaxed

Broken down

[Your] best man

The best option

A particular object, for example, or a type of beer

Bet

Beat (past tense or present conditional)

As in, 'defeated' or 'will/would defeat.'
Also as in 'bet the head off ya.'

BIFFO

Acronym for 'big ignorant fucker from Offaly'

Predates the political rise of Brian Cowen, Taoiseach [Prime Minister] from May of 2008 until January of 2011.

Black

Crowded

(A pub, for example)

Blow

Hashish

Bob's your uncle.

You've got it made.

Bold

Poorly-behaved

Bucketin'

Raining hard

Buckled, etc.

Drunk

('Pissed', in European English.)

Buffer

Settled person, to a Traveller

Irish Travellers are a nomadic minority population.

[You'd think] butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

He acts like he thinks he's pure.

Telephone sendoff.

(Quick succession, variable-speed repetition.)

Pants

Most commonly heard as 'relax the cacks.'

Cat

No good

(Shortened version of a Gaelic word I cannot spell.)

Caught, found out

...caught in the act, caught with one's hand in the cookie jar...

Caught rotten

Caught red-handed

...like 'caught out,' but worse(r)

Caught lovely

Same as 'caught rotten,' but from the opposite perspective

Chalk and cheese

Night and day

('Different as...')

Chance [v.]

To risk

see also 'chance the arm.'

Chance the arm

To take a risk, expose oneself to embarrassment

Chancer

One who risks

(But the connotation is not favorable.) ... 'God loves a tryer, not a chancer.' ...

Chipper

Fish-and-chip shop

Also 'chippie'

Clatter (n.)

A punch or a slap

Close (adj.)

Humid

(The Irish talk about weather habitually.) ...

C'mere 'til I tell ya

Listen [to this]

Often simply 'c'mere...'

Coddin'

Kidding or joking with

'I'm not coddin' ya.'

Craic

Craic is an Irish word, the rarity that is regularly used in Irish English

Country person

From either 'agricultural;' or one of several Irish-language words. Derogatory. See jackeen.

Cute

Sly, devious, clever

A 'cute hoor' is a sly fellow

How're you doin'?

May be agricultural in origin

The conditions being what they were

Dear

Expensive

note: this one is Euro-English.

Nothing, nobody

'I rang them half-four. Not a dickie-bird.'

Digout

Assistance with a task; helping hand

Dinner

Lunch

Divil the bit

Nothing

(In response to a 'what's happening' question.) Literal meaning uncertain.

is

(emphasized form)

[The] dog's bollocks

The shit

[The business; the real thing]

[Made a] dog's dinner [of it]

[Made] shit [of it,] loused it up

Donkey's years

A long time

Also 'Zonks'

Don't give a monkey's

Don't give a rat's ass

(No mention of which part of the monkey one 'doesn't give' in feeling no concern.)

Don't know meself

I'm a new person

Said of an improved employment situation, for example

A common way to wish a good day to someone who's working or heading toward their job.

[Had] drink taken

[Was] under the influence

The gards and the judges talk this way, and newspapers report it so.

Drop the hand

Grab somebody's ass (arse)

Idiot

Effin' and blindin'

Cursing to high heaven

Either

Also

'You could do that, either.'

Et

Eat or ate

As in 'chew out,' castigate

Well done

Often 'fair play to ya' (same as 'fair f*cks to ya')

Fair f*cks to ya

Way to go

Same as 'fair play'

Fanny

Vagina

Feck

Mild form of the expletive 'fuck.'

Acceptable in polite informal situations

Fierce (adv.)

Very

See 'fierce and savage'

Flagon

2-litre plastic bottle (of hard cider)

Flange

Vagina

Possibly mostly Dublin

Fuck up

Shut up

(Sort of a hybrid of 'shut up' and 'fuck off')

Flat, apartment, house

Gammy

Shitty, useless

Garda

Policeman; member of An Garda Síochána

Plural gardaí (formally.) Coloquially, however, 'gard' and 'gards'

Gargle (n)

The drink

Funny

'You're a gas man'

Gee (n)

Vagina

(Pronounced 'ghee,' with hard-g sound)

Ghost estate

Empty housing development

A vestige of the runaway 'Celtic Tiger' economy

Git

Derisive term for a person

Voicing disapproval

Complaining, asserting opinion or emotion. 'Giving out yards' is the same, but more of it.

Gobsmacked

Flabbergasted

Good man y'rself

Well done

[A] good skin

A good person

You don't say

Grá

Love

'Shackleton, whose gra for a glass of whisky is well known....' — Irish Independent (newspaper)

[Doing] fine

'Oh, you're grand.'

(The) guts of

Most of

Very cheap

Hames (of it)

Mess (of it)

'Made a hames of it.' Rare, in modern use.

Handy

Easy

1.) 'Take it handy'
2.) 'A handy job' (easy, manageable work)

Have it on me toes

Go, leave

Head on [him or her.]

A person's demeanor, visible from a distance.

'Did you see the big old contrary head on him.'

Hole in the wall

ATM

Also 'drink link.'

Hot press

Closet holding water-heater

Hoor

Fellow

(Mildly derogatory)

'How's the form?'

'How's it going?'

Often followed by '... Are y' well?'

Hungry

Greedy

The strange thing is....

Can be disconcerting in discussion of a serious matter. Does not mean 'I wouldn't mind.'

If

Often omitted; word order changed

'I was wondering could I (...)' (I was wondering if I could [...] )

Ill-behaved, rude

Dubliner

(To country person.) Derogatory. See culchie.

Loo, toilet (European;) bathroom, restroom (American.)

Slang; loo and toilet are the common usage.

Flukey

Related to 'waxy,' although 'waxy' tends to refer to an event whereas 'Jammy' describes a more-general characteristic. 'That was waxy,' or 'you waxed that one,' vesus 'you're a jammy bastard.'

Jar

Pint

(of beer)

Jocks

Underpants

Just

Emphasis, at end of sentence

'Nice weather.' 'Isn't it just?'

Just about

Pretty much

'How're ya, lads?'
'Ah sure still alive anyhow.'
'Just about.'

1) n. and v. Sleep.
2) n. A dive; a delapidated or messy place.

Knob

Penis

Idiot, fool, prick; literally, 'penis.'

Corkonian, ad to national use by Roy Keane, a famous/infamous soccer player.

Langered

Leave [v.]

Let

Give permission. 'He won't leave us dig up the back garden.'

Leave it with me.

I'll look into it.

[Do a] legger

Abscond, go away; walk off the job.

Sex

Lifted (somebody) out of it

Gave out (to somebody,) in a big way.

[,] like.

(Always at end of statement.)

'But I was here on time, like.'

Y'all, or them ('the lads')

Non-gender and non-age specific

One's usual pub

Needn't be the closest; only the most-accustomed.

[On the] long finger

On the back burner

Not highly prioritized

Lose the head

Self-explanatory

Lovely

Common expression of acceptability

Made a fool of (somebody or oneself)

Made up

Entirely pleased

Acting the maggot

Being unruly or annoying

Often said of (or to) a child

Filthy, grimy

Meant to be

Reputed to be

'It's meant to be brilliant' = 'I've heard it's great.'

Mental

Crazy (situation, etc.)

Message

Errand

'Doing some messages' can be anything from picking up some groceries to putting in a bet at the booking office.

Messin'

Kidding (around)

Mind yourself

'Take care,' or 'be careful there'

In general, upon departure, or specific to a potential danger

Mingin'

Filthy, dirty, foul-smelling

[the] Mockers

[a] Jinx

To 'put the mockers on [something]' is to bring bad luck by mentioning a negative possibility.

Country bumpkin

Muppet

Dumbass

Hip-flask (of whiskey, etc.)

Usually 200 ml., in modern times

Neck (n.)

Nerve

'You have some neck' — you really know how to push your luck.

Nixer

A job done off the books

None too soon

Not on

Unacceptable (behavior or result)

Similar to 'bang out of order.'

Not the full shillin'

A brick short of a full load

Thinking 'above one's station'

As in office politics...

Common way to say that somebody or something is alright.

Not worth much

May be said of goods or services — does not imply lack of activity.

Spoken as greeting in a retail transaction

Establishment licensed to sell alcohol for take-away

Not usually hyphenated — and not, of course, spelled in the American fashion.

Once

As long as; providing that

'Once you can get there on time, you're grand.*'

Only

Absolutely

'It's only delicious.'

Yer only man

Your best option

'Guinness is yer only man.'

Him

(See 'the other one')

Her. A specific woman, whose identity is presumed known.

See also 'your one' and 'your man.'

Out the gap

gone, out of here

[For] the sake of argument

[You're] on the pig's back.

[You've] got it made.

Pissin' time

The duration that something that doesn't last very long doesn't last.

Cheap batteries, for example, 'don't last pissin' time.'

Plonker

Not a compliment.

Just like it sounds.

Press

Cupboard or closet

The 'hot press' is the one that contains the water-heating immersion*

Pull the door over

Pull the door shut

Grand, great

Talk without concision

Rag order

Bad condition

Rake

Slew

(A large number [of something])

Rat-arsed

Relations

Relatives

[You've] right to, e.g.

You should

She had right to = she should have ... etc.

Ring, ringpiece

Anus

Steal

In American, you would 'steal' a car. In Ireland, you'd 'rob' it. To rob a car in American is to steal something from inside it.

(Rhyming slang)

Safe as houses

Sambo

Sandwich

Savage (adj.)

Impressive, estimable

See 'fierce and savage'

Scoops

Pints

'Going for a few scoops?'

Scratcher

1.) Bed
2.) The dole

1.) 'In the scratcher'
2.) 'On the scratcher'

Scutters

Diarrhea

Scutterin'

Part of an insult phrase — e.g. 'scutterin' gobshite'

(You can) see by (him [or her]) that....

You can see by his demeanor that....

On Shank's mare

'On foot.'

Origin stories are dubious

Shift (v.)

1.) Move
2.) Move [something]
3.) 'Move' [something] commercially; sell it
4.) Make out; kiss with. 'I shifted her in the club.'

Shore

Drain

(in gutter, on street, etc.)

Short

Shot

(of liquor)

A shower of _

A large number of _

'A shower of wankers,' for example. The expression seems to always apply to people, and is never used in a complimentary way.

Shoutin' and roarin.'

Self-explanatory

Since year dot.

From the beginning.

Sing it.

You got that right.

Skanger

Scumbag

(Also used as a more-specific description of a demographic in which track suits are common — normally ranging in style from white on blue to blue on white.)

[A good] skin

[A] good fellow

Skint

Broke (no money)

From 'skinned.'

Sláinte

Cheers (over a drink)

Literally, 'health,' in Gaelic

Verbal abuse

Slapper

Slut

Origin uncertain

Sliced pan

Crappy mass-produced white bread

From the [Anglo-Norman] French pain — 'bread.'

So

[Tag word,] used at end of a sentence or phrase

No particular semantic meaning. Softens the declarative nature of the sentence. 'I'll call over later, so.'

Hope for my soul

Soft as shite

Gullible, credulous

Sound.

A common affirmation

Flip one's lid

It'll stand to ya.

It'll work to your benefit.

A start

A job, at its inception

'Any chance of a start? No? Okay.' — Christie Moore

Getting Stick

Getting hassled

'Getting stick' for being skinny, for example; or fat; or red-headed...

[In the] stooks

Obstinate

'Heels dug in' over an issue.

Ah, stop

Tell me about it; you're talling me...

Droll reaction to an obvious statement

Stop the lights

Oh, my Jesus

From the 1970's quiz show 'Quicksilver,' in which the phrase was integral to the play of the game.

[What's the] story?

What's up?

A general greeting. Frequently shortened, and often the word 'story' is about the only clearly-audible part.

[Good ol'] stretch in the evening

Days are getting longer

Stroppy

Argumentative

The Sun does be splittin' the stones.

It's bright and hot.

(Relatively hot.) The Irish tend to speak about the weather casually.

Tag word, used at fore of sentence

Swiss

Hole

From 'Swiss roll,' via rhyming slang. 'Swiss Roll' is a popular spongecake-and-artificial-cream dessert. Yep....

Well-executed, tidy

A job done properly

That _

So _

'The place was that small, you had to step outside to change your mind.'

That's the shot.

That's the ticket.

Argumentative, obstinate

Often pronounced 'tick'

This is me

This is my ([stop on the train,] for example)

Through money for a shortcut

An expression of how fast it goes away

[On the] tick

[On a] tab

At the pub, for example

To

Often omitted

'I'll try get some teatowels'

Toe-rag

Scumbag

(On me) tot

On my own

'I don't want to be left down there on me tot.'

Touchin' cloth

Burstin' for a shite

Turfed out

Ejected

(From a club, e.g.)

Twig

Grasp, realize

One of only a few words that remain from Gaelic Irish.

Somewhat self-explanatory, though slightly cryptic. It's a way of acknowledging your own cleverness.

Us

Me

'Give us a bell [telephone call.]'

A statement of appreciation for an act of kindness.

Disagreeable woman

Was, were

Would have been

'One more step and you were in traffic'

Waxy

Flukey, lucky

See 'jammy'

Wear [something] off [somebody]

Hit somebody with something

'I'll wear it off him'

Went down a bomb

Worked like a charm

What are we like?

Said in bemusement at our own behavio(u)r

Never mind _

'I don't even like rain, whatever about snow.'

Well?

General greeting

[Southeast — possible origin Waterford. In the southeast, one would often answer their telephone* this way, also.]

It's well for some

It must be nice

An expression of mild begrudgery

Weren'tn't

Weren't

Anglophile

Derisive. Often used in reference to the adoption or affectation of British accent in the speech of a native Irish person.

What way

How (it's going to turn out, etc.)

'Let me know what way it goes.'

Will

Shall

'Will we go?'

Will [he, etc.] wha'?

Yes, of course.

Q. 'Will he approve?' A. 'Will 'e wha'?'

With _ years [e.g.]

For _ years

'Been in Ireland with nine years'

Worser

Worse

Would _

If _ would

'She rang to ask would I call over' = 'She called to ask if I'd come over' ...

Would be

Is

'He'd be a stonemason.'

Would want

Would need

As in, 'I'll beat you good-looking — sure* I'd want a big stick.'

Would ya ever...?

Will you...?

[Not impolite.]

Work away.

Go ahead.

'Septic tank,' in rhyming slang

'You,' plural.

Also 'youse,' apparently more so in Dublin ('Yz,' or 'yiz.')

Yoke

You can't have it all ways

You know that kind of way.

You know how that is.

You know y'rself

A polite way of showing lack of presumption

You'd want to...

You'd better...

'You'd wanta'

You may...

You'd best...

'You may do some work....'

Young one

Young woman

That guy

Your one

That woman

Youse

Mostly in Dublin. Also 'yiz.' 'Ye,' elsewhere.

Yr auld lad and yr aul one

Your dad and your mom

Ages

'Haven't seen ya in zonks.' May be more common in Dublin.