You Know Your Irish When.. You Use These Phrases on a Daily Basis!

Irish Sayings, Slang & Phrases

NON IRISH FOLK READ HERE

Your travelling to Ireland this year, or maybe your just back from visiting and your trying to figure out what that crazy old farmer with the woollen cap shouted at you as you walked through his field (probably trying to find that neolithic monument a local told you about on the hush hush)! If your visiting the emerald isle I highly recommend that you make your self known to a few of these sayings and phrases. Because if you fail to do so, you may just have a very hard time trying to understand us.

IRISH FOLK READ HERE

Your like myself, just your average Irish gal (/guy maybe in your case), who tends to speak in such rhythmic jargon from time to time, that leaves many foreigners clueless as to what you just said. But to us its just everyday language. I myself really enjoy reading articles on Irish sayings, my most adored being - The Book of Irish Mammies by Colm O'Regan and Stuff Irish People Love (this isn't particularly about Irish sayings but you'll love it, if your Irish that is). Mind you I never read the books hahaa, but I did read extracts and watched Clisare's video on Stuff Irish People love, and I was laughing all the way to the end. You can watch it here. Infact just skip on over to her channel altogether because she's great for the craic! You can do that after you read my post ;)

As the title of this post so clearly boasts, you know your Irish when... you use these phrases on a daily basis. So for those of you with an Irish passport, I think its time you put your identity to the test. Are you really Irish? Well if you use these phrases bellow on a daily basis, you most defiantly are 100% Pure Irish baaaai. (Baaai - Cork slang - meaning 'boy' - pronounced biiii-yuh - used commonly among us rebellious southerners)

NON IRISH OR IRISH YOU CAN ALL READ HERE

So without further a-do.... here are some popular Irish phrases!

As Mrs. Doyle in Father Ted would say "Will you have a cup of tea? Ah go on
go on go on go on!!"

"I WILL YEA"

Meaning: I am being sarcastic and I will not do that for you.

Another similar phrase: I will in me arse (arse meaning backside)

"FUCK IT"

Meaning: Sure why not, got nothing to lose, don't care, whatever.

Another similar phrase: Feck it

"DID YOU GET THE SHIFT?"

Meaning: Did you French kiss someone, did you get lucky?

Another similar phrase: Did you get the maul, did ye meet (meet and maul meaning french kiss)?

"I'M GOING TO HEAD THERE"

Meaning: I'm going to go now or go to a certain place now.

Another similar phrase: Will we head on?

In use: "I'm babysitting in half an hour so I better head!"

"NAGGIN"

Meaning: Name for a 200ml bottle of spirit, I use it generally when talking about vodka.

In use: "I can't wait to go out tonight Sarah, I better get a naggin in the shop before I call over to yours!"

"THE MESSAGES"

Meaning: It's the name given by most Irish mammies to the groceries or the shopping.

In use: "Will you do me a favour love, and run to the shop to get the messages?"

"SCATTER LADS, THE SHADES ARE COMING"

Meaning: Run you guys, the police are coming. The shades being the slang name given to the Garda Siochana (Irish police force).

"SHE'S SUCH A RIDE"

Meaning: That girl is so hot, I would ride her. Ride also meaning to have sex. And of course it can be used the other way around ;)

"I AM SO SHITFACED"

Meaning: I am so drunk.

Another similar phrase: I'm mouldy, I'm plastered, I'm fucked, I'm langers.. the list goes on haha

"I'M BATE"

Meaning: I am so tired.

Another similar phrase: I'm wrecked!

"GAFF"

Meaning: House, a place where somebody lives.

In use: "Come over to my gaff tonight, I'm having a session"

"SESSION"

Meaning: A party, a get together where drinking or other forms of 'partying' take place for a long period of time (a day at the longest.. generally).

In use: "There's a big session on at the beach tonight!"

"THE JACKS"

Meaning: The toilet, generally the male bathroom. Us Laaadies generally don't use it when talking about the toilet.

"SAUCY OUT"

Meaning: Cheeky out, that was so cheeky. I use this phrase ALOT, but I use it out of context, the person or thing I call saucy is never usually cheeky, I just like the word.

In use, by me: "Ah Niamh! You saucy fecker!", I might just call someone a saucy fecker out of the blue, for no reason but simply because I love the phrase.

"YOUR HAPPY OUT"

Meaning: Your happy, with 'out' added to the end to emphasis your happiness. Your content in your self at the present moment. Your having a good time.

"YONKS"

Meaning: Ages or a long time.

Another similar phrase: Donkey's years.

In use: "I haven't seen you in yonks!!" or "It's been donkey's years since we last spoke!"

"AH GO ON"

Meaning: Ah you will won't you, ah you'll do it, ah do it!

In use: In Father Ted, the tv show, Ms. Doyle the house keeper is pushy when it comes to a cup of tea. When she asks someone if they want a cup, and they say no, she pushes them by saying "Ah go on, you'll have a cup!" Bellow is a clip from the show, you'll even notice a few other phrases mentioned above feature :) Who doesn't love Ms. Doyle, and importantly, who doesn't love tea!!:O

Well I think I've covered enough phrases and sayings to keep you going for the next while. But I will be back with a second instalment because as I've discovered while writing this post, there is a hell of a lot of phrases and words we use on a daily basis that would have any foreigner left perplexed. And I've only covered a few!

Until next time,

A very educated Sinéad,

Out.

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