#hiberno-english
69 words tagged “hiberno-english”
Your ma — or any older woman within earshot.
Conversational opener — 'listen, I want to ask you something'.
To scold, moan or complain at someone.
Catholic-safe exclamation — a 'Jesus!' that won't get you a clip round the ear.
Sarcastic 'absolutely not' dressed up as a question.
Hello, how are you — collapsed into one syllable.
Affectionate Irish 'no way!' / 'stop messing'.
Streetwise, sharp, in the know — nobody pulls one over on you.
Wrecked. Either steaming drunk or an absolute state.
A gullible fool — an Irish word for someone who'll believe anything.
Common sense — or a command to wise up.
Excellent, massive, a belter.
A genuinely decent, trustworthy person — the highest Irish compliment with minimum fuss.
Mature content — open to view.
Mature content — open to view.
Wound up, in a state, nerves shot.
Dublin greeting — 'what's the story, horse?' compressed.
In bits — drunk, exhausted, or emotionally destroyed.
A jumper or sweater, especially a knitted one.
Brass-neck cheek — the gall to do something shameless.
Absolutely hammered. Irish for very drunk.
Be on your guard — keep your wits about you.
Wrecked drunk — or beaten senseless. Take your pick.
Irish for the toilet — always plural, always casual.
Irish slang for a woman someone can't stand.
Brilliant, deadly, class — Dublin's go-to compliment.
Dubarry deck shoes — the posh-rural Irish uniform.
Mortified. Cringing-into-the-floor embarrassed.
Mild, overcast, drizzly — Ireland's default weather, dressed up as a compliment.
Girlfriend. Dublin word for your other half.
Mature content — open to view.
Absolutely hammered. Drunk past the point of dignity.
A kiss — specifically a proper snog, tongues included.
A sly bit of thieving — or any cheeky stunt you pulled off.
A cupboard. Where the cups, tins or clothes live.
Rural Irish 'how's it going?' — older, friendlier, slightly farm-coded.
That fella over there — no, he's not actually yours.
Beaten, knackered, or thumped — Irish pronunciation of 'beat'.
Wrecked, broken, hanging out of yourself.
Dublin's word for a chav — tracksuited, gobby, working-class stereotype.
An annoying person — or the bug they gave you.
Irish-mouthed 'Jesus' — exclamation, not prayer.
Fizzy drinks. Coke, 7Up, Club Orange — the lot.
A can of Dutch Gold — Ireland's go-to cheap lager.
Flat out, going mental with how much you've got on.
Someone who melts your head. A walking migraine.
Annoying, rubbish, cursed.
Groceries; 'doing the messages' = going for the shopping.
Trainers. Sneakers. The shoes you'd run in (or not).
Acting as lookout while someone else is up to no good.
Irish for steaming drunk — past the point of saving.
Crockery — plates, cups, the lot.
A drink. Specifically the alcoholic kind.
Mature content — open to view.
How are you / what's the craic — Irish all-purpose greeting.
Rain coming down hard enough to ruin your day and your shoes.
Bawl someone out, go ballistic at them.
A sly operator who's quietly stitched everyone up and got away with it.
Your da — or some older bloke you're talking about.
A useless rogue — a clown, a wastrel, a chancer.
Mature content — open to view.
It's so hot the rocks are cracking — Irish for a proper scorcher.
A skiver. Someone who'll do anything except work.
Delighted — Dublin pronunciation, usually paired with 'excira'.
To kiss someone with tongues. Teen-disco version of 'shift'.
A young girl — usually a teenager or younger woman.
Now we're getting somewhere — things finally working.
A posh South Dubliner from the Dublin 4 postcode — Ireland's version of a Sloane.
To stare like a gom — mouth open, no shame.