Irishisms
Our guide of quare little Irishisms aims to help yer man, yer wan and the youngfella understand the nuances of Irish sayings. If you don't understand this, don't worry, you soon will after reading our guide!
- Acting the maggot
- Meaning: Messing around or behaving foolishly.
- Ah, G'wan
- Meaning: "Oh, go on." A phrase to encourage someone in a lighthearted way.
- Arseways
- Meaning: Doing something completely incorrectly, or getting it all wrong.
- Aul one / Aul fella
- Meaning: A term for one's mother or father.
- Banjaxed
- Meaning: Very badly broken or ruined. There is usually no way back.
- Bleedin'
- Meaning: An intensifier. Used to really emphasise your point.
- Bockety
- Meaning: Wobbly, unsteady or not straight. From the Irish word, "bacach", meaning lame.
- The Craic
- Meaning: Fun or a good time It's pronounced "crack".
- Culchie
- Meaning: Someone from rural Ireland. Or if you ask someone from Dublin, anyone not from Dublin.
- Deadly
- Meaning: Excellent, brilliant or great.
- Dote
- Meaning: A sweetheart, a cutie or a really lovely person. An affectionate term usually used by mothers as a term of endearment.
- Dryshite
- Meaning: A boring, uninteresting person. We all have that one friend.
- Eejit
- Meaning: An idiot or a fool. A softer, more lighthearted insult. You can also "act the eejit", meaning, to mess around.
- Effin' & Blindin'
- Meaning: Swearing a lot.
- Fair / Pure
- Meaning: Very. Used to add emphasis.
- Feck
- Meaning: A mild curse word. Used as a softer alternative to the F-word, often in trivial circumstances.
- Few Scoops
- Meaning: A few drinks.
- Gander
- Meaning: A look or glance.
- Gargle
- Meaning: An alcoholic drink.
- Gas
- Meaning: Funny or hilarious.
- Giving out
- Meaning: To complain or scold someone.
- Gobsmacked
- Meaning: To be utterly amazed, shocked or surprised.
- Grand
- Meaning: Good, fine or okay. It's a very common term.
- G'way ourrah dat!
- Meaning: "Go away out of that!" A phrase of disbelief, meaning "No way!".
- Holy Show
- Meaning: An embarrassment. Usually to describe a person's actions - to make a holy show of oneself.
- How's she cuttin'?
- Meaning: How are you? It's an informal greeting.
- In bits
- Meaning: Upset, exhausted or distressed. In a bad way.
- I will in me hole
- Meaning: I won't.
- Just the one
- Meaning: The first drink of many. It's never just the one.
- Locked
- Meaning: Drunk, very drunk
- Manky
- Meaning: Dirty, rotten or disgusting.
- Mé Féiner
- Meaning: Selfish or self-centered. From the Irish for "myself".
- Muppet
- Meaning: An idiot or a foolish person. You don't want to be called this.
- Notions
- Meaning: When a person thinks they are better than they are.
- On the hop
- Meaning: To be spontaneous or skip school.
- Poxy
- Meaning: Useless or of poor quality.
- The Press
- Meaning: The cupboard. Found in the kitchen and usually overstocked with just about anything imaginable. Your mother will know what's inside it and where it is.
- Quare
- Meaning: Very. Also used to mean strange or odd.
- Ride
- Meaning: A person who is very attractive. Also used to describe the act of making love.
- Savage
- Meaning: Excellent or brilliant.
- Scaldy
- Meaning: Someone or something that is rough around the edges or unpleasant.
- Scarlet for ye!
- Meaning: You should be embarrassed. A common phrase in Dublin.
- Session
- Meaning: A long period of drinking, conversation, and often music. If you're there, you're "On the Sesh!"
- Sláinte
- Meaning: Cheers or good health. Said when raising a drink.
- Smithereens
- Meaning: Small, scattered pieces. The word itself is Irish in origin - "smidiríní".
- The Snug
- Meaning: A small secluded room inside a pub. Originally for people who wanted to drink in privacy, such as women or priests.
- Suss Out
- Meaning: To figure something out or investigate.
- Tipping away
- Meaning: To be getting along or doing okay.
- Well
- Meaning: Hello. A very common greeting.
- What's the story?
- Meaning: How are you? It's an informal greeting.
- Ye / Yous / Yiz
- Meaning: You (plural). Used to address more than one person.
- Yer man / Yer wan
- Meaning: "That man" or "that woman". Used to refer to a person whose name you can't remember or can't be bothered to remember.
- Yoke
- Meaning: A thing, object or person. A versatile word for somethings name you can't think of.
- Young fella / Young one
- Meaning: A term for a young boy or girl.
Example: "Stop acting the maggot and finish your homework."
Example: "Ah g'wan, you'll stay for another cup of tea."
Example: "I tried to build that shelf but I put it together arseways."
Example: "I'll be down to the pub in a few minutes, my aul fella is giving me a lift."
Example: "My car is completely banjaxed after I hit that pole."
Example: "It's bleedin' freezin' outside."
Example: "Be careful with that chair, it's a bit bockety."
Example: "It was great craic at the pub last night!"
Example: "Ah, he's a culchie but he's a grand lad."
Example: "That concert was absolutely deadly."
Example: "Look at the flowers Sarah bought me, isn't she a wee dote?"
Example: "He's a complete dryshite; he never wants to go out."
Example: "Ah, don't mind him, he's acting the eejit."
Example: "He was effin' and blindin' at the TV after his team lost."
Example: "It's a fair long way to go." or "That was a pure class act."
Example: "Ah, feck it, I forgot my keys again."
Example: "Fancy heading to the pub for a few scoops later?"
Example: "Give me the remote and I'll have a gander at what's on tele."
Example: "I'm heading out for a gargle with the lads."
Example: "Fran told me this story last night, it was gas!"
Example: "My mam was giving out to me for coming home so late."
Example: "I couldn't believe it, I was gobsmacked."
Example: "The weather isn't too bad. 'Tis grand!'"
Example: "You won the lottery? G'way ourrah dat!"
Example: "I was out at the weekend. I made a holy show of myself."
Example: "Alright there, Mick? How's she cuttin'?"
Example: "I got tackled in my football match and I was in bits."
Example: "Will you do the dishes for me? I will in me hole!"
Example: "Will you come for a pint? Ah, I will yeah. 'Just the one'."
Example: "I was locked last night. I can't remember a thing."
Example: "I'm not eating that, it's manky."
Example: "Sure, he only cares about himself, he's a pure mé féiner."
Example: "He's locked his keys in the car again. What a muppet!"
Example: "She's getting a bit full of herself, she has notions now."
Example: "I got suspended from school, the principal caught me 'on the hop'."
Example: "This poxy umbrella broke the second I put it up."
Example: "Go into the kitchen and get the biscuits from the press."
Example: "That was a quare good feed."
Example: "She's an absolute ride." or "I got the ride last night!"
Example: "The party last night was absolutely savage."
Example: "I wouldn't go near him, he's scaldy."
Example: "Scarlet for yer da for havin' ye."
Example: "We went for one drink and ended up in a full-blown session."
Example: "Let's have a great night, sláinte!"
Example: "I dropped my phone, and it smashed to smithereens."
Example: "Let's go to the snug, it's much quieter there."
Example: "I'll try figure out where we can have our Christmas party."
Example: "How's your new job? Ah, it's grand, just tipping away."
Example: "Well lad, how are you?"
Example: "What's the story? Long time no see."
Example: "Are yiz coming to watch the match on Sunday?"
Example: "Yer man from down the road was asking for you, you know, yer man!"
Example: "Give me that yoke over there."
Example: "My young fella is starting secondary school in September."