Irish Slang

Some Irish Slang terms that may come in handy .....

* Acting the Maggot - Fooling and messing around.
* An Lár - (Irish - 'On Larr') - City Centre (An Lar is written on the front of Dublin buses to confuse tourists!)
* Áras an Uachtaráin - (Irish - 'Arr Iss On Ook Tar Awn') - Home of the President i.e. Located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin
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* Bad dose - Severe illness
* Bags (To make a bags of something) - a botched job
* Bang on - Correct. Accurate
* Banjaxed - Broken
* Batch Bread - Thick bread, sometimes sliced already
* Biteen - Little bit
* Black Stuff - Guinness
* Bogball - Gaelic Football
* Bogtrotter - A person from the countryside
* Bowsie - A useless good for nothing usually a male
* Boyo - Male juvenile delinquent
* Brutal - Terrible or awful
* Bucketing down - Raining
* Bulmers - Legendary Irish cider, called 'Magners' abroad
* Bunk Off - To skip school
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* Chancer - Someone who'd try anything i.e. 'chance their arm'
* Chiseler - A child (Dublin slang)
* Cod - To pull someone's leg
* College - University
* Craic - Fun
* Croker - Croke Park in Dublin (main GAA stadium)
* Culchie - A person from the countryside (i.e. outside Dublin)
* Cute hoor - A sly person, someone who quietly engineers things to his own advantage.
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* Delira and Excira - 'Delighted and Excited' (Dublin slang)
* Dub - A Dubliner. A 'True Blue Dub' is praise.
* Dubes - Short for Dubarry (A brand of shoe favoured by Rugger Buggers)
* Dublin 4 / D4 - A Dublin postcode, but usually refers to a posh person (even if they're from another Dublin postcode)
* Deadly - Fantastic, Wonderful
* Dense - stupid or thick
* Donkey's years - For a very very long time
* Dosser - Someone who is not working at their job
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* Eat the head off - To give out to someone
* Eejit - Complete fool
* Effin' and blindin' - Swearing, cursing
* Eff off - polite swear word
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* Fair play! - Well done
* Fella - A guy. Particularly as in 'Me Fella' or 'My boyfriend / husband / partner' (Dublin slang)
* Fierce - Very
* Fine thing - Good looking man or woman
* Floozie - Woman of dubious moral attributes
* Fluthered - Very drunk
* Fooster - fiddling about
* Football - Soccer
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* GAA - Gaelic Athletics Association (Organisation responsible for Hurling and Gaelic Football). Sometimes referred to as 'Gah' instead of the G.A.A.
* Gaff - Home. 'To have a free gaff' means you're home alone
* Gammy - crooked or funny looking
* Gander - A quick glance
* Garrison Game - Football / soccer
* Gas - Funny or amusing
* Gawk - To stare rudely
* Get Outta That Garden - affectionate phrase generally thrown into a conversation to encourage laughter, example: "ah would ya get outta that garden!"
* Give out - To have a go / chew someone out e.g. I gave out to him
* Gobshite - Socially inept person and / or complete fool
* Gouger - aggressive male
* Guff - excuses and lies
* Gurrier - Hooligan
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* Hames - Complete mess e.g. to make a hames of something
* Hardchaw - Tough Guy
* Hockeyed - Heavily defeated
* Holy Joe - Self righteous person
* Holy show - Disgrace
* How's she cutting? - 'Hi'
* Howya - 'Hi' or a person from a rough area of Dublin
* Hurl - To play hurling. A hurley stick. To vomit. Or to throw.
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* Jackeen - A rural person's name for a Dubliner and it's not nice.
* Jacks - toilet
* Jo Maxi - Taxi
* Joy (The) - Mountjoy Prison in Dublin
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* Kip - a dump. e.g.: "The hotel was a complete kip." Or to have a sleep.
* Knacker Drinking - To drink outside illegaly
* Knackered - Very tired or broken beyond repair
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* Langer - A cork name for an unliked person (male)
* Langers- Very drunk
* Lash - To rain. e.g.: "It lashed out of the heavens the whole time." Also verb : 'give it a lash - to make an attempt at something or 'to go on the lash' - to out drinking
* Leg it - To run away quickly
* Locked - Very drunk
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* Manky - Filthy dirty or disgusting
* Mitch - To skip school
* Mortified (or morto, e.g. I was morto!) - Highly embarrassed
* Mot - Girlfriend (Dublin slang)
* Murder - Very difficult. e.g.: "Trying to find a taxi was murder." Or else to really want to do something e.g. 'I could murder a pint.'
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* Naggin - A small bottle of alcohol, particularly vodka
* Nip (in the) - nude
* Nixer - job done for cash to avoid tax
* Norn Iron - Northern Ireland
* Not the full shilling - not fully sane
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* On the tear - To go out drinking
* Ossified - Very drunk
* Oul Fella - Your Father (Dublin slang)
* Oul Dear / Oul Wan - Your Mother (Dublin slang)
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* Paralytic - Very drunk
* Pictures - To go to the movies i.e. I went to the pictures last night
* Plastered - Very drunk
* Puss (To have a puss on you) - Sulky face
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* Rugger Bugger - Person who's posh and likes rugby (usually from Dublin)
* Rugger Hugger - Girl who's posh and goes out with rugby players (usually from Dublin). Can also be called a 'Rugger Bugger'.
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* Savage - brilliant, great e.g I went to see a savage match yesterday
* Scarlet - To be very embarrassed e.g. 'I was scarlet'
* School - Primary or Secondary School / Elementary, Junior High or Senior High School
* Senior Cup - Major schools rugby trophy played for by schools mainly in Dublin.
* Shattered - Very tired
* Sheila - a pet name for a promiscuous girl.
* Shinner - Someone who supports Sinn Fein
* Shower of savages - Ignorant group of people
* Slag - To make fun of someone in a nice way ,nb to be used as a verb, if not has the same meaning as elsewhere ie 'a common prostitute'.
* Sleeveen - Devious and sly person, usually referring to someone from outside Dublin
* Sliced Pan - Bread bought already cut into thinnish slices
* Story? (What's the) - 'Hi'
* Suckin' diesel (Now you're) - Now you're talking. Now you're doing well
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* Tánaiste - (Irish - 'Tawn Ish Teh') - Deputy Prime Minister
* Taoiseach - (Irish - 'Tee Shock') - Prime Minister
* Tayto - Legendary Irish brand of crisps (US 'chips')
* The Pale - Anywhere inside the Dublin region
* Thick - Extremely stupid
* Throw shapes - To show off, sometimes aggressively
* Touched - Someone who hasn't their full mental capacities i.e. He's touched
* Town - City Centre or even the local town!
* Tricolour - Irish flag
* Trinners - Trinity College Dublin
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* Uachtarán na hÉireann - (Irish - 'Ook Tar Awn Na Hair In') - President (Of Ireland)
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* Waster - Someone who's completely useless i.e. 'Yer man's an awful waster altogether'
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* Yoke - An object or thing i.e. 'That's a strange looking yoke, what is it?'
* Young Fella (male) or Young One (female) - Young man or Young woman (Dublin slang)
* Your Man (male) or Your Woman (female) - referring to someone you are talking about (not boy or girl friend/wife etc.)
* Your only man - Something that you can rely on e.g. If you're hungry, a burger's your only man (a burger will alleviate your hunger)