[To be] "after" doing something |
|
Used in formation of past tense. |
[See you] after |
[See you] later |
|
[Tell her I was] askin' after [her] |
|
Not so much "inquiring about" as just a "say hello." |
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? |
|
* Are y'alright? |
Not so much a question as a general greeting, in a shop or pub. |
Roughly translated: "May I help you?" There is no rude connotation, although at a club, late, "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" ... |
[See the] back of |
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 |
|
|
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. |
|
'Bye. 'Bye. 'Bye. 'Bye. 'Bye. |
Telephone sendoff. |
(Quick succession, variable-speed repetition.) |
Cacks |
Pants |
Most commonly heard as "relax the cacks." |
Cat |
No good |
From the Irish cat melodeon |
Caught out |
Caught, found out |
...caught in the act |
Caught rotten |
Caught red-handed |
...like "caught out," but worse(r) |
Caught lovely |
Same as "caught rotten," but good |
|
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 |
In a 1492 feud, the Earl of the Ormonds was holed up in Dublin's Saint Patrick's Cathedral. After several weeks, Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of the Kildares, wanted to end the feud and requested entry to the cathedral. Sir James refused him. Sir Gerald chopped a hole in the door and extended his arm inward as a gesture of peace. James accepted, and the feud ended. So goes the story. |
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 |
• Good times, convivial humor
• "What's the craic?" — What's up? / How's it going?
• "It was good craic" — a good time.
• "Any craic?" — Anything going on? Often spelled "crack," as it's pronounced. |
Culchie |
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's she cuttin'? |
How're you doin'? |
May be agricultural in origin |
The day that was in it |
The conditions being what they were |
|
Dear |
Expensive |
note: this one is Euro-English. |
[Not a] dickie-bird |
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. |
Does be |
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 |
Don't work too hard |
|
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) |
|
Eejit |
Idiot |
|
Effin' and blindin' |
Cursing to high heaven |
|
Either |
Also |
"You could do that, either." |
Et |
Eat or ate |
As in "chew out," castigate |
Fair play |
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") |
Gaff |
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 |
|
Gas (adj.) |
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 |
|
Giving out |
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
|
|
Go 'way |
You don't say |
|
Grá |
Love |
"Shackleton, whose gra for a glass of whisky is well known...." — Irish Independent (newspaper) |
Grand |
[Doing] fine |
"Oh, you're grand." |
(The) guts of |
Most of |
|
Half-nut'n' (half-nothing) |
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 |
|
I wouldn't mind, only.... |
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 [...] ) |
Ignorant |
Ill-behaved, rude |
|
Jackeen |
Dubliner |
(To country person.) Derogatory. See culchie. |
Jacks, bog, trap |
Loo, toilet (European;) bathroom, restroom (American.) |
Slang; loo and toilet are the common usage. |
Jammy |
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." |
Kip |
1) n. and v. Sleep.
2) n. A dive; a delapidated or messy place. |
|
Knob |
Penis |
|
Langer |
Idiot, fool, prick; literally, "penis." |
Corkonian, ad to national use by Roy Keane, a famous/infamous soccer player. |
Langered |
Drunken |
|
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. |
|
Leg-over (n.) |
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." |
Lads |
Y'all, or them ("the lads") |
Non-gender and non-age specific |
|
Local (n.) |
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 show of (somebody or oneself) |
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 |
Manky |
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. |
Muck-savage |
Country bumpkin |
|
Muppet |
Dumbass |
|
Naggin |
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 |
|
Not before time |
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 |
|
[Getting] notions |
Thinking "above one's station" |
As in office politics... |
Not the worst of 'em |
|
Common way to say that somebody or something is alright. |
Not up to much |
Not worth much |
May be said of goods or services — does not imply lack of activity. |
Now |
Spoken as greeting in a retail transaction |
|
Off licence |
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." |
The other lad |
Him |
(See "the other one") |
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 |
Corkonian |
[For] pig-iron |
[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 |
|
Quare |
Grand, great |
|
Rabbit on |
Talk without concision |
|
Rag order |
Bad condition |
|
Rake |
Slew |
(A large number [of something]) |
Rat-arsed |
Drunken |
|
Relations |
Relatives |
|
[You've] right to, e.g. |
You should |
She had right to = she should have ... etc. |
Risk it for a biscuit |
Self-explanatory |
[Except "biscuit" means cookie.] |
Ring, ringpiece |
Anus |
|
Rob |
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. |
Rock and roll |
Dole |
(Rhyming slang) |
Safe as houses |
A good bet |
|
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" |
Scrote |
Tracksuit-wearing scumbag; maggot |
|
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 |
Slagging (n.) |
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." |
Soap for me hole |
Hope for my soul |
|
Soft as shite |
Gullible, credulous |
|
Sound. |
|
A common affirmation |
Go spare |
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 |
Irish weather talk |
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. |
Sure |
Tag word, used at fore of sentence |
Adds emphasis to a statement assumed obvious |
Swiss |
Hole |
From "Swiss roll," via rhyming slang. "Swiss Roll" is a popular spongecake-and-artificial-cream dessert. Yep.... |
Tasty |
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. |
|
Thick |
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. |
Up here for thinkin', down there for dancin'. |
|
Somewhat self-explanatory, though slightly cryptic. It's a way of acknowledging your own cleverness. |
Us |
Me |
"Give us a bell [telephone call.]" |
Oh, you're very good. |
|
A statement of appreciation for an act of kindness. |
Wagon |
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 |
Whatever about _ |
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 |
|
West Brit |
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. |
|
Yank |
American |
"Septic tank," in rhyming slang |
Ye |
"You," plural. |
Also "youse," apparently more so in Dublin ("Yz," or "yiz.") |
Yoke |
Thing, thingamabob, whatchyacallit |
|
You can't have it all ways |
You can't always get what you want |
|
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 |
|
Your man |
That guy |
Refering to a person whose identity is presumed known. (See also "the other one.") |
Your one |
That woman |
|
Youse |
You (plural) |
Mostly in Dublin. Also "yiz." "Ye," elsewhere. |
Yr auld lad and yr aul one |
Your dad and your mom |
|
Zonks |
Ages |
"Haven't seen ya in zonks." May be more common in Dublin. |
|