#Study: Irish Slang (Gregory Goyle)

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Character Study: Speech  – Irish Slang 

Acting the maggot        

Meaning: Fooling and messing around   Example: Stop acting the maggot

Bad dose          

Meaning: Severe illness Example: You got a bad dose of it, didn’t you?

Bags (to make a bags of something)      

Meaning: Make a mess of doing something         Example: He made a right bags of that

Bang on            

Meaning: Right, accurate, correct           Example: You are bang on

Banjaxed    

Meaning: Broken           Example: The chair is banjaxed

Black stuff

Meaning: Guinness      Example: A pint of the black stuff, please

Boyo    

Meaning: Male, juvenile            Example: Come on, you boyo!

Brutal  

Meaning: Awful, dreadful           Example: It was a brutal tackle

Bucketing down

Meaning: Raining hard Example: It is bucketing down

Bunk off            

Meaning: Skip (school, work) Example: Do you want to bunk off tomorrow?

Chancer            

Meaning: Someone who takes a risk       Example: He is a real chancer

Chiseler

Meaning: Young child (Dublin slang)       Example: He was a chiseler at the time

Ciotóg  

Meaning: Left-handed   Example: I am a Ciotóg and proud

Cod/codding ya

Meaning: To pull someone’s leg Example: I am only codding ya!

Craic  

Meaning: Fun, gossip, goings-on Example: What’s/where’s the craic?

Crack on            

Meaning: Continue on, get going             Example: I must crack on, lots to do

Culchie

Meaning: Person from rural / agricultural area   Example: She is a culchie originally

Cute hoor          

Meaning: Person who quietly engineers things to their own advantage   Example: He is a real cute hoor

Delira and excira            

Meaning: Delighted and excited (Dublin slang)   Example: Are you delira and excira about it?

Deadly

Meaning: Brilliant, fantastic, great Example: That was a deadly film

Donkey’s years

Meaning: For a very, very long time         Example: They have lived there donkey’s years

Dosser

Meaning: Someone not working or is messing about, up to no good Example: They are a couple of dossers

Eejit      

Meaning: Complete fool, doing something silly   Example: You are such an eejit

Earwigging

Meaning: Listening in on a private conversation Example: You were earwigging again, yes?

Effin’ and blindin’          

Meaning: Swearing and cursing Example: He was effin’ and blindin’ nonstop

Eff off  

Meaning: Polite swear word (for the F word)       Example: Ah, just eff off, will ya

Fair play!          

Meaning: Well done!     Example: Fair play, mate!

Feck Off            

Meaning: Go away (polite version), used to show surprise or shock  Example: Feck off . . . . don’t be bothering me

Fella    

Meaning: Used for your guy, as in ‘me fella’; partner/husband/boyfriend Example: Is your fella going to be there?

Fierce  

Meaning: Very good, great, excellent Example: It was a fierce performance

Fine thing          

Meaning: Good-looking man or woman Example: That guy is a fine thing

Floozie

Meaning: Woman of dubious moral attributes   Example: The place is full of floozies

Fluthered

Meaning: Very drunk. Example: I was absolutely fluthered last night

Gaff      

Meaning: Home; to have a ‘free gaff’ means you are home alone Example: I will pop over to your gaff later

Gammy

Meaning: Crooked, or odd-looking  Example: He had a gammy leg

Gander

Meaning: Quick glance Example: Take a quick gander in here first

Gas

Meaning: Funny or amusing  Example: He is a gas man

Gawk  

Meaning: To stare rudely  Example: Stop gawking

Get outta that garden!

Meaning: Fun phrase used in a conversation to get a laugh, reaction  Example: Wud ya get outta that garden!!!

Grand  

Meaning: Many uses; most often used as a reply to ‘How are you?’,  ‘How are you feeling?’, or being told of a decision Example: We will meet you there – “Grand”; Dinner will be in 10 minutes – “Grand”

Hames/haymes

Meaning: Complete mess  Example: I made a complete haymes of that work

Holy Joe            

Meaning: Self-righteous or religious person Example: She is a bit of a holy joe actually

Holy show        

Meaning: Disgraceful scene      Example: She made a holy show of herself

How’s she cuttin’?        

Meaning: Hi; How are you?; What’s news?         Example: How’s she cuttin’?

Howya

Meaning: Hi, hello         Example: Howya doin’?

Jackeen

Meaning: A rural person’s name for a Dubliner   Example: You are a jackeen…my sympathies!

Jacks    

Meaning: Toilet Example: I’m off to the jacks

Jo maxi

Meaning: Taxi, cab         Example: We can get a jo maxi in later

Kip

Meaning: A dump of a place and also a sleep       Example: I had a quick kip before dinner; it was a real kip of a hotel

Knackered        

Meaning: Exhausted, tired         Example: I was completely knackered

Langers

Meaning: Drunk Example: She was totaly langers last Friday

Lash    

Meaning: 3 meanings: to rain hard; to make an attempt at something; or to go out drinking  Example: It was lashing out of the heavens. Give it a lash. Let’s go on the lash Saturday.

Leg it    

Meaning: Run away quickly         Example: Come on, we need to leg it now!

Locked

Meaning: Very drunk     Example: He was totally locked at closing time

Manky

Meaning: Dirty, filthy, Disgusting Example: My hair feels manky, it needs a wash

Mot      

Meaning: Girlfriend (Dublin slang)           Example: Where’s your mot tonight?

Murder

Meaning: Very difficult or to really want to do something             Example: Finding a taxi was murder. I could murder a Guinness.

Nixer    

Meaning: Job done for cash to avoid tax Example: He can do it as a nixer for you

Not the full shilling

Meaning: Not fully sane Example: I don’t think he is the full shilling

On the tear      

Meaning: Going drinking             Example: We were on the tear last night

Ossified

Meaning: Drunk            Example: We got ossified

Oul fella            

Meaning: Your father, dad (Dublin slang)             Example: My oul fella is out at the moment

Oul Dear / Oul Wan

Meaning: Your mother, mom     Example: My oul dear is out shopping

Pictures          

Meaning: Movies, film       Example: We went to the pictures a week ago

Puss (To have a puss on you)

Meaning: Sulky face       Example: Take that puss off your face

Rugger Bugger

Meaning: Someone posh, loud and loves rugby Example: He is a rugger bugger for sure

Savage

Meaning: Great, brilliant             Example: It was a savage contest till the end

Scarlet

Meaning: Very embarrassed Example: I was scarlet

Shattered          

Meaning: Exhausted     Example: After driving, I was shattered

Slag      

Meaning: A verb used to make fun of someone in a nice way or else it has the same meaning as elsewhere.           Example: He was only slagging you, don’t worry

Story? (What’s the)

Meaning: Hi, what’s happening?             Example: What’s the story, Rory?

Suckin’ diesel (Now you’re)        

Meaning: Now you’re talking, now you’re doing well       Example: Now you are suckin’ diesel, my friend!

The Pale            

Meaning: Anywhere in the region of Dublin         Example: I am living just outside The Pale

Thick    

Meaning: Extremely stupid Example: He is as thick as a plank

Throw shapes  

Meaning: Show off, sometimes aggressively       Example: They were all throwing shapes in the pub