Irish-English terms and phrases

Examples: 
Used in several past-
[To be] after • "I'm after winning the lotto" means "I won the lotto." 
tense verb forms.
• "I was after winning the lotto" means "I had won the lotto."

[See you] after [See you] later

[Tell her I was] Not so much "inquiring about" as "sending regards," whether a mere "say
askin' after [her] 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 Roughly translated: "May I help you?" One response is "could I have a
Are y'alright? general greeting, in a shop Guinness, please." There is no rude connotation in the phrase. In a late club,
or pub. "Y'alright, lads, please" means it's time to clear out.

Arsewise Ass-backwards

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

Wasting your time, effort,

At nothin' "... at nuttin'" ...
etc.

Banjaxed Broken down

Bells Time of day "8 bells," e.g. — 8 o'clock

[Your] best man The best option A particular object, for example

Beat (past tense or present As in, "defeated" or "will/would defeat."

Bet
conditional) Also as in "bet the head off ya."

Black Crowded

[Can't get] blood [Can't get] blood from a

(If you don't have the money, you don't have it.)
from a stone turnip

Blow Hashish

[Like a] blue-arsed
Running around... (Freneticaly busy)
fly
 "A few bob," or "the few bob." The expression has carried over, and is used
Bob Pounds*
in reference to the euro.

Bob's your uncle. You've got it made.

Bold Poorly-behaved

Brilliant Excellent, first-class (Not necessarily "bright" or "intelligent.")

Bucketin' Raining hard

Buckled, etc. Drunk ("Pissed", in European English.) 

[You'd think]
He acts like he thinks he's
butter wouldn't
pure.
melt in his mouth.

'Bye. 'Bye. 'Bye.

Telephone sendoff. (Quick succession, variable-speed repetition.)
'Bye. 'Bye.

Cacks Pants Most commonly heard as "relax the cacks."

To take a risk, expose
Chance the arm
oneself to embarrassment
In a feud between the Irish families Ormond and Kildare in 1492, Sir James
Butler, Earl of the Ormonds, holed up in Dublin's Saint Patrick's Cathedral.
After several weeks, Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of the Kildares, decided he
wanted to end the feud. He went to the cathedral and requested entry. He
promised he would do no harm. Sir James was suspicious, and refused him.
Sir Gerald used a spear to hack through the wooden door a hole just big
enough to put his arm into, which he did as a gesture of peace. James
accepted, and the feud ended.

Cat No good (Shortened version of a Gaelic word I cannot spell.)

Chance [v.] To risk see also "chance the arm."

(But the connotation is not favorable.) ... "God loves a tryer, not a chancer."
Chancer One who risks
...

Chipper Fish-and-chip shop Also "chippie"

Clatter (n.) Scuffle

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

C'mere 'til I tell ya Listen [to this] Often simply "c'mere..."

Caught rotten Caught red-handed ...caught in the act, caught with one's hand in the cookie jar...

Same as "caught rotten,"

Caught lovely but from the opposite
perspective

Cooker Stovetop

Craic Craic is an Irish word, the • Good times, convivial humor 


rarity that isregularly used
in Irish English
• "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.

From either "agricultural;" or one of several Irish-language words.

Culchie Country person
Derogatory. See jackeen.

Cute Sly, devious, clever A "cute hoor" is a sly fellow

Daub (somebody)
Turn (somebody) in "Drop the dime"
in it

[The] day that was [The] conditions as they

in it existed

Dear Expensive

[Not a] dickie-bird Nothing, nobody "I rang them half-four. Not a dickie-bird."

Assistance with a task;

Digout
helping hand

Dinner Lunch

Does be is (emphasized form)

[The] dog's
The shit [The business; the real thing]
bollocks

[Made a] dog's [Made] shit [of it,] loused it

dinner [of it] up

Donkey's years A long time Also "Zonks"

Don't give a (No mention of which part of the monkey one "doesn't give" in feeling no
Don't give a rat's ass
monkey's concern.)

Don't work too A common way to wish a good day to someone who's working or heading
hard toward their job.

Doss Goof off Especially on the job

Drop the hand Feel her up (down below)

Derisive term, prob. from

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

Mild form of
Feck Acceptable in polite informal situations
theexpletive "fu*k."

Fierce (adv.) Very

Flagon 2-litre plastic bottle of drink

Flutter The buzz from gambling "He enjoys an aul' flutter"

Footpath Sidewalk "Pavement," in European English

Gaff Flat, apartment, house

Gammy Shitty, useless

Policeman; member ofAn

Garda Plural gardaí (formally.) Coloquially, however, "gard" and "gards"
Garda Síochána

Gargle (n) The drink

Gee (n) Vagina (Pronounced "ghee," with hard-g sound)

Git Derisive term for a person

Complaining, asserting opinion or emotion. "Giving out yards" is the same,

Giving out Voicing disapproval 
but more of it.

Gobsmacked Flabbergasted

[A] good skin A good person 

Go 'way You don't say

"Shackleton, whose gra for a glass of whisky is well known...." — Irish

Grá Love
Independent (newspaper)

Grand [Doing] fine "Oh, you're grand."

(The) guts of Most of

Half-nut'n' (half-
Very cheap
nothing)

Hames (of it) Mess (of it) "Made a hames of it." Rare, in modern use.
 1.) "Take it handy" 
Handy Easy
2.) "A handy job" (easy, manageable work)

Have it on me toes Go, leave

Head on [him or A person's demeanor,

"Did you see the big old contrary head on him." 
her.] visible from a distance.

Hole in the wall ATM Also "drink link."

Hot press Closet holding water-heater

Homely Homey, cozy In American english, "homely" means "ugly," or near enough to it.

"How's the form?" "How's it going?" Often followed by "... Are y' well?"

Hungry Greedy

I wouldn't mind, Can be disconcerting in discussion of a serious matter. Does not mean "I
The strange thing is....
only.... wouldn't mind." 

Often omitted; word order

If "I was wondering could I (...)" (I was wondering if I could [...] )
changed

Ignorant Ill-behaved, rude

Jackeen Dubliner (To country person.) Derogatory. See culchie.

Loo, toilet (European;)

Jacks, bog, trap bathroom, restroom Slang; loo and toilet are the common usage.
(American.)

Jammy Flukey Same as "waxy"

Jar Pint (of beer)

Emphasis, at end of
Just "Nice weather." "Isn't it just?"
sentence

1) n. and v. Sleep. 
Kip
2) n. A dive; shabby place.

Knob Penis

Idiot, fool, prick; literally, Possibly Corkonian and spread by Roy Keane, a soccer player and a national
Langer
"penis." celebrity.

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.

Abscond, go away; walk off

[Do a] legger
the job.
Lifted (somebody) Gave out (to somebody,) in
out of it a big way.

(Always at end of
, like. Comparable to "so" or "so it is" — softens impact of a direct assertion.
statement.)

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

Lads — non-gender, non-age
specific

Local (n.) One's usual pub Needn't be the closest; only the most-accustomed.

[On the] long

On the back burner Not highly prioritized
finger

Lose the head Self-explanatory

Lovely Common expression of acceptability

Made a show of
Made a fool of (somebody
(somebody or
or oneself)
oneself)

Made up Entirely pleased

Manky Filthy, grimy

Meant to be Reputed to be "It's meant to be brilliant"

"Doing some messages" can be anything from picking up some groceries

Message Errand
to putting in a bet at the booking office.

Messin' Kidding (around)

"Take care," or "be careful

Mind yourself In general, upon departure, or specific to a potential danger
there"

Mingin' Filthy, dirty, foul-smelling

To "put the mockers on [something]" is to bring bad luck by mentioning a

[the] Mockers [a] Jinx
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.

Neck (v.) Drink forthwith See "put a hole in it."

Nixer A job done off the books

Not before time None too soon

Not the full shillin' A brick short of a full load

Thinking "above one's

[Getting] notions As in office politics...
station"

Not the worst of

Common way to say that somebody or something is alright.
'em

Not up to much Not worth much Could be said of an object, or a situation — doesn't imply action or lack of it.

Establishment licensed to Not usually hyphenated — and not, of course, spelled in the American
Off licence
sell alcohol for take-away fashion.

Once As long as; providing that "Once you can get there on time, you're grand.*"

Only Absolutely "It's only delicious."

The other lad Him (See "the other one")

Her. A specific woman,

The other one whose identity is presumed See also "your one" and "your man." 
known.

gone, out of here: "I'm out

Out the gap May be specifically Corkonian
the gap."

[For] pig-iron [For] the sake of argument

[You're] on the
[You've] got it made.
pig's back.

Pissed on the chips Screwed that one up [May be Euro-English] 

The duration that something

Pissin' time that doesn't last long doesn't Cheap batteries, for example, "don't last pissin' time." 
last.

Plonker Not a compliment. Just like it sounds.

Press Cupboard or closet The "hot press" is the one that contains the water-heating immersion*

Put a hole in it. Finish your drink. (Used amongst friends, when it's time to go elsewhere) 

Pull the door over Pull the door shut

Quare Strange "It's a quare aul' world"

[The] Quare One Satan, the Devil

Rabbit on Talk without concision

Rag order Bad condition

Rake Slew (A large number [of something])

Rat-arsed Drunken

Relations Relatives

[You've] right
You should She had right to = she should have ... etc.
to, e.g.

Ring, ringpiece Anus

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

Rubber Eraser (for pencil)

This expression is probably not as common after the drop in housing prices
Safe as houses A good bet
of 2008 after more than a decade of hyperbolic increase.

Sambo Sandwich

Savage (adj.) Impressive, estimable

1.) Bed  1.) "In the scratcher" 

Scratcher
2.) The dole 2.) "On the scratcher"

Scutters Diarrhea

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

(You can) see by

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

"On foot." Origin stories

On Shank's mare May be Scottish.
are dubious

1.) Move 
2.) Move [something] 
Shift (v.)
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 wankers" is one popular version. The implication is derogatory

A shower of _ A large number of _ even before the insult. The expression seems to always apply to people, and
is never used in a complimentary way.

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

[disrespectful term for a

Slapper Origin indiscernible
woman]

Crappy mass-produced
Sliced pan From the [Anglo-Norman] French pain — "bread."
white bread

[Tag word,] used at end of a No particular semantic meaning. Softens the declarative nature of the
So
sentence or phrase sentence. "I'll call over later, so."

Soft as shite Gullible, credulous

Sound. A common affirmation

[Go] spare Flip one's lid

[A] start A job, at its inception "Any chance of a start? No? Okay." — Christie Moore

[Getting] Stick Taking shit, getting hassled "Getting stick" for being skinny, for example; or fat; or red-headed...

[In the] stooks Obstinate "Heels dug in" over an issue.

From a 1970's quiz show, "Quicksilver," in which the phrase was integral to
Stop the lights "Oh, my Jesus"
the play of the game.

A general greeting. Frequently shortened, and often the word "story" is about
[What's the] story? What's up?
the only clearly-audible part.

[Good ol'] stretch

Days are getting longer Irish weather talk
in the evening

Stroppy Argumentative

[Tag word,] used at fore of

Sure Adds emphasis to a statement assumed obvious
sentence or phrase

From "Swiss roll," via rhyming slang. "Swiss Roll" is a popular spongecake-
Swiss Hole
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

Through money
An expression of how fast it goes away 
for a shortcut
[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
Somewhat self-explanatory, though slightly cryptic. It's a way of
thinkin', down
acknowledging your own cleverness.
there for dancin'.

Us Me "Give us a bell [telephone call.]"

Wagon Disagreeable woman

Was, were Would have been "One more step and you were in traffic"

Waxy Flukey, lucky

Wear [something] Hit somebody with

"I'll wear it off him"
off [somebody] something

What age are ya? How old are you?

[May be phenomenon of the Southeast. There, one would often answer

Well? General greeting
their telephone* this way, also.] 

It's well for some It must be nice An expression of mild begrudgery

Weren'tn't Weren't

How (it's going to turn out,

What way "Let me know what way it goes."
etc.)

Will Shall "Will we go?"

Will [I, we, she,

Yes, of course. Q. "Will he approve?"   A. "Will 'e wha'?"
they, he, it] wha'?

Wire Penis

Would _ If _ would "She rang to ask would I call over" = "She called to ask if I'd come over" ...

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.]

Wouldn't go astray Wouldn't do any harm (Might be a good idea)

Work away. Go ahead.

Ye "You," plural. Also "youse," apparently more so in Dublin ("Yz," or "yiz.")

Thing, thingamabob,
Yoke
whatchyacallit

You know that

You know how that is.
kind of way.

..You know A pacifying modifier. It doesn't assume that the listener knows anything — it
yourself.... just says "I don't assume that I'm telling you anything new."

You'd want to... You'd better... "You'd wanta"

You may... You'd best... "You may do some work...." 

Young one Young woman, girl

Your man That guy

Refering to a person whose identity is presumed known. (See also "the other
Your one That person, female one.")

Youse You (plural) Mostly in Dublin. Also "yiz." "Ye" outside of Dublin, depending upon usage.

Yr auld lad and yr

Your dad and your mom
aul one

Zonks Ages "Haven't seen ya in zonks." May be more Dublin.