"What's the craic" can also be used to say hello to someone meaning "hi, any gossip/how is it going". For example,Their kitchen is manky. Travel Blog Website includes Silly Photos, Videos, Weird Unusual Humor, WTF and Stories, Turkey Funny Travel Guide, Destination Tips, News, Advice, Information. BanjaxedA peculiar word, meaning broken beyond repair, that originated around the 1930s, but its etymology is unknown. No idea how to describe this one. Irish Travellers live in Ireland and throughout Great Britain, with smaller communities in Canada and the United States. Urban Dictionary: Irish Traveler According to Ireland Calling, its most likely short for the phrase cat on a melodeon. @ Susie: Sorry I forgot. FoosterTrying to find your keys in your bag, forgetting your phone and then having to go back again for your wallet, messing around with a bunch of belongings, putting things in and out of drawers. Appreciate your comments! The exact number of native speakers is hard to determine due to sociolinguistic issues but Ethnologue puts the number . For example, He was slagging me, so I gave him a kick in the bollox. For example, Shes been up to 90 since she came home and saw what the dog did to the couch in the living room. Its lots of fun, and just like Australians, the Irish dont take themselves too seriously. Since before time, we Irish have managed to invent our very own slang words and phrases to unleash on all unfamiliar with the lingo! Travel Blog Website includes Silly Photos, Videos, Weird Unusual Humor, WTF and Stories, Thailand Funny Travel Guide, Destination Tips, News, Advice, Information. Its another one for very drunk people. You can also use this word to describe something thats bad. Voted up and shared! is just the Irish version of "How can I help you?". Romany Gypsies & Irish Travellers : r/PeakyBlinders - Reddit Actually they do exist although they are rare! Thick as a brick - very stupid. Babby use the word to describe a little child. Irish Slang Word #13: Trad What it means: The word lethal is mainly used in northwestern Ireland and means great. You can also abbreviate lethal into leefs. Someone not working or is messing about, up to no good, Go away (polite version), used to show surprise or shock, Used for your guy, as in 'Me Fella' partner/husband/boyfriend, Home, to have a 'free gaff' means you are home alone, Fun phrase used in a conversation to get a laugh, reaction. Still smiling over some of the expressions! English Language Arts. NixerThe etymology of a side job, or a short-term gig for cash in hand, is unclear but surely has to be simply nix from the German nichts, or nothing with an -er at the end.47. Person who quietly engineers things to their own advantage. TenterhooksThe hooks on a tenter, a tenter being a large wooden frame used in clothmaking. Know more? Another origin could be from the Co Mayo town of Kiltimagh, or Coillte Mach, with culchie emerging from the Irish word coillte, or woods. I'll have to re-read this to get the full effect of all the phrases! Glad you enjoyed Gypsy Rose Lee! :) If only I could find some vacation time :). Gypsy Words. Funny how some are in both but then maybe not since so many Irish are there! Travel Blog Website includes Silly Photos, Videos, Weird Unusual Humor, WTF and Stories, Zambia Funny Travel Guide, Destination Tips, News, Advice, Information. Update: weve had around 50 emails since this guide was published asking about the term the luck of the Irish. From always working with the public, I often say "Are you okay?" Another one for describing someone thats done something stupid or for using against someone that you just dont like. A wet week meaning a short amount of time. In the 1890s the English comic paper Nuggets featured an Irish immigrant family called the Hooligans, depicted in a typically pejorative way.9. Now if I can only save enough to go to Ireland so I can test out my nifty new words! Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on October 06, 2013: Nice one buachaildana, quite an appropriate name! Ah. Much fun was had compiling our unusual language here!! I love the word huair although Im never sure whether or not its spelt Huair or Hoor. Its name emerged from the Aztec or Nahuatl word for testicle. Good God its just dawned on me how many Irish sayings there are for describing manky weather! FeckLess offensive than the other bad word, and popularised in Britain when Father Ted became a hit.57. Up to 90Stressed out, agitated, unbelievably busy. Rolls off the tongue nicely, though Pox. AvocadoAlthough variations of the word had been written down for years (aguacate, alvacata and avocatas, for example), the first recorded used of avocado was by Sir Hans Sloane, the naturalist born in Co Down. It would make you jump up and never come down again! Its pissing down out there., Weather type: Rainey. Shes bang on or I had the bike fixed down in Riordains yard last week. CulchieThe pejorative Hiberno-English term that urban sophisticates use to describe their rural cousins. For example, I caught him eating cake from the fridge with his hands, the little pup or I heard about you on Saturday night, ya pup. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Heritage Days; Languages and glossary; Traditional crafts and . Their place in Irish folklore was solidified by the 1959 Disney film Darby OGill and the Little PeopleA history of Ireland in our favourite words: 22 leprechaun. Theyre unreal. For example,The car wont start. For example, Ross, ya pox! Don't forget to test your slang street cred and your gift of the gab ability, by taking my small quiz at the end! Thanks for sharing. For example, I need a barrel of soudafed. SnugA small, snug area of a bar where women who were less welcome in the main area of the pub could drink discreetly, as could others who wanted a private moment.71. Some think the term comes from supporters of King William III, Billys Boys; others point to a Scottish word for companion, billie, combining with the hills both the Ulster and Scottish immigrants lived on.70. Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on November 19, 2013: Hahaha that was gas! For example, Mam cooked some dinner for you. It was some Ogeous handling. I heard off Noley that you were in getting the haemorrhoids sorted?! Urban Dictionary: irish gypsy LOVED IT. Will I, yea?!. For example, Sure look, what can ye do?!. For example, The hostel were staying in as a kip and a half!. It was originally a racist term . Boycott became one of the first victims when he tried to evict tenants after they demanded a decent rent decrease following a poor harvest at Lough Mask near Ballinrobe. I cant hear the radio!. I was tempted to clip him with the wing mirror to teach him a lesson. For example, He got a taxi home with us and hopped out without giving us any money towards it. I spent a lot of time nodding and smiling, and then admitting I had no idea what they were talking about. What Irish curse words and insulting Irish phrases have we missed? Here are some Irish slang words for describing both good and bad weather. Its pure shit out. Related Reads: Check out our guide to 31 funny Irish jokes and 33 Irish insults and curses that locals use. Photograph: Chema Alba/Moment/Getty52. For example, Eh, is that Karen up on that table? Shes on her 17th vodka. My parents always used to say sure that fella wouldnt know a h on the side of a sack (meaning hes clueless)- dont know if its an Irish thing or a drumcollogher thing- ever heard this? For example, Shut your bake, you clown. They're very funny and fun-loving.I dated a pure Irishman for a couple of years..laughed straight through all 2 years!! Travel Blog Website includes Silly Photos, Videos, Weird Unusual Humor, WTF and Stories, Poland Funny Travel Guide, Destination Tips, News, Advice, Information. The grammar and syntax are English."3 Although he does not use any uniquely Shelta words, Pitt's character adequately portrays the typical "pikey" Shelta usage. The word gas is Irish slang for funny. Below you can have a nosey at some light-hearted and pretty damn offensive Irish insults and Irish curse words. Rajan Singh Jolly from From Mumbai, presently in Jalandhar, INDIA. I heard Cracking used constantly on a trip to Northern Ireland where we frequented far too many pubs. Soft dayAlthough this type of weather isnt unique to Ireland, our description of it is. God only knows. Minus craic is the polar opposite to Having the craic and is used to describe a situation when there was absolutely zero fun being had. For example, That dope Conors after calling in sick. Right. SoundEmerging from British slang, and not exactly deviating from its original etymology of being in a state of health, as in safe and sound, to mean decent.38. Looking forward to reading more of your work here! NagginThe word for a 200ml bottle of spirits comes from noggin, a drink measure whose name is derived from the Irish naign, meaning a small wooden pail.48. I was in the horrors last night. Performing Arts & Fine Arts. For example, Sorry pal can you tell me where the jacks is?!. Banjaxed drunk. outside Dublin), Person who quietly engineers things to their own advantage, To knee someone in the side of their thigh. Have fun, you will be talking like a seasoned pro in no time! In my last job, I worked in a building with around 250 people from 34 different countries. Jeff Boettner from Tampa, FL on September 29, 2012: Glad I took a gander at this hub Suzie HQ :), I studied the words until I was completely knackered. livingabroad from Wales, UK on June 19, 2012: What about "to be sure, to be sure"? Offensive: Youre only a bollox. Leland, who was the first to write about the language in the 1800s. One you might want to include is Guards. She charged some lad 2 grand instead of 200 Euro. For example, Shite man Im running late. Bad dose. Ah, narkey hole. Bingo Wings - flabby underarms. Charlie Haughey, whose response to the discovery of the murderer Charles Macarthur in the attorney generals home, in 1982, Conor Cruise OBrien turned into the acronym. Some Travellers of Irish heritage identify as Pavee or Minceir, which are words from the Irish Traveller language, Shelta. Ive heard this one a lot less in recent years. As useless as a chocolate teapot - very useless. In the late 17th century Whigs were those who didnt want James, duke of York, to succeed Charles II, as he was Catholic. Salivating, dying for something e.g. We use the word deadly in Ireland to describe something thats good or great, for example, That new pub on the corner is deaaaaadly! or Did you hear I got the job in the chipper? Ah no. A useless scut if Ive ever seen one. Interesting! Tell the world! Heres a handful (Ill update this again at a later date as more comments come in). Dying cloth and then (left) drying it on tenter frames. Which words did the Irish invent for our own use, and which ones travelled around the globe? It was a fun hub to write, us Irish are good at making fun (polite term!!) Ill pop a little note beside the more offensive phrases and words so that you dont end up getting yourself in trouble. Bag of Taytos a packet of potato chips. Travel Blog Website includes Silly Photos, Videos, Weird Unusual Humor, WTF and Stories, Switzerland Funny Travel Guide, Destination Tips, News, Advice, Information. A mess He made a right hames of the job, Thronged/packed i.e the place was heavin last Saturday, The first or last slice of a loaf of bread, An ugly country woman (she looks like a cow), Drunk, e.g. GallivantingThats enough gallivanting for one week may be a very Irish phrase so much so that it has ended up on tea towels but it comes from early 19th-century English (gallant), as a term for flirting with women, or to gad about.43. For example, Bout ye, chief! Brendan Patrick Keane @IrishCentral. I loved this. Travelling soon? To keep it going, and to make this guide as helpful as possible, Im going to offer myself as an Irish slang translator. Culchie is the term people who live in Dublin use to refer to someone who lives in the rural areas outside the city. CraicCraic journeyed from Middle English (crak) via Shakespeare to 18th-century Scotland (both crack) and was then adopted into Hiberno-English in the mid-20th century and given its Gaelic spelling. ! translates into I definitely wont be doing that. So slogan emerged from the battle cries of a clan.25. A lot of it seems to be similar to Essex slang but, then I'm not sure that's necessarily a good thing lol. Had fun reading all the slang words, some familiar, some not so. Can you help? Academics have often called it Shelta (a label that Travellers themselves do not know or use), after C.G. What does Peaky Blinders mean in slang? - TimesMojo Or to throw. I was in a quiet little pub in Allihies in West Cork. He was in here at half 4 this morning preparing that report, the prick. Anyone who has travelled to Ireland knows that the Irish have a great sense of humour (check out my list of Irish Slang!). In the book, the language is always called "Cant", which is also a word for slang in general in English. I could eat a babys arse through the Ireland has an illustrious history of mineral-inventing. Travel Blog Website includes Silly Photos, Videos, Weird Unusual Humor, WTF and Stories, Mexico Funny Travel Guide, Destination Tips, News, Advice, Information. From press trips to content development find out what The Travel Tart can do for you! Let me know in the comments section below! gwan oura dat ye bleedin' mad ting. Some I know already so I guess they've been taken on as British or slid over the Irish Sea. His name potentially comes from the Irish pca, which, although it generally means ghost, is slightly more complex than a mere spirit, and could also be a shape-shifter, taking the form of a horse, a goat or another animal.32. :-). Im laughing while typing this one as I havent heard it in years. The term GYPO is widely used as an abbreviation of the word "Gypsy." It was originally used as a derogatory term to refer to someone from the traveling community (e.g., Romani travelers, Irish travelers, gypsies), but is now more widely used as a common insult throughout the English-speaking world, particularly in the UK.