#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.