| Annoy |
v. To upset. "Now don't be annoying yourself. He didn't mean it." "She's all annoyed because her wee dog died" |
| At's us nai |
'That's us now'. All done! We're ready! Pronounced 'At's us nai' in Belfast /ats ʌs nai/ |
| Aye |
Yes |
| Be /Bees/Do be/Does be |
Present habitual tense - directly mapping the Irish language, which has different words for "I am" (tá mé) versus "I be" (bíonn mé). "I be busy every Wednesday" "He bees there every day" = Bíonn sé ansin gach lá. "She does be tired by Friday" |
| Boul' |
adj. Literally, bold. Sassy, cheeky, or (in relation to children) badly-behaved pronounced /boul/ |
| Cat / cyat / kyet |
Bad. That's kyet = that's really terrible |
| Champ |
n. A meal of potatoes mashed with milk, butter, and sometimes eggs, frequently with scallions (spring onions) added |
| Childer |
Children |
| Craic |
Fun. "What's the craic?" "How are you?" "How's things?" It can also mean gossip and/or news. "What's the latest craic?" |
| Culchie |
n. Someone from the countryside. Someone not from the city. |
| Dander |
n. A walk. "He went out for a dander" = he went for a walk |
| Dead on |
adj. Reliable, kind, helpful, great. "She's dead on" = she's really good / kind |
| Dote / Dotey |
v. To love / adore; adj. adorable. "I dote on him" "She's dotey" |
| Draught |
pronounced draft. Cool air, caused by windows or doors not being fully closed |
| Eejit |
Idiot |
| Evening without tea |
An old phrase meaning a miserable experience. "It was like an evening without tea" |
| Fair play |
Well done / good on you / that was kind |
| Feck |
A milder version of fuck |
| Foundered |
Frozen / starved / exhausted depending on context |
| Gaff |
House / home |
| Gas |
Funny. "That's gas!" = that's hilarious |
| Get |
An often derogatory noun for a person. "He’s a bad get." |
| Giving out |
Complaining / telling off. "She was giving out about the weather." |
| Grand |
Fine / okay / acceptable / good. One of the most versatile Irish words. |
| Ha’penny place |
Toilet / outhouse |
| Headers |
Pigs’ heads, used in cooking; also can mean a mess of something depending on context |
| Hoke |
To rummage through. "Have a hoke in the drawer." |
| Howaya |
How are you? Also used as an exclamation depending on tone. |
| I will, yeah |
I definitely will not. Often used sarcastically. |
| In bits |
Very upset / emotionally overwhelmed / falling apart |
| Keep ’er lit |
Keep going / keep it up |
| Lash |
A go / an attempt. "Give it a lash." |
| Lock |
A small number / a few / a lot depending on context. "A lock of them came." |
| Messages |
Groceries / errands / shopping. "I'm away for the messages." |
| Midden |
A mess / dirty person / dirty place |
| Minus craic |
No fun at all |
| Narky |
Bad-tempered / moody |
| Nixer |
A cash-in-hand side job |
| On the tear |
Out drinking / partying |
| Press |
Cupboard / cabinet |
| Quare |
Strange / remarkable / very. "That’s quare good." |
| Raging |
Very annoyed / furious / disappointed |
| Rake |
A lot / a large amount. "A rake of books." |
| Scundered |
Embarrassed / fed up / disgusted |
| Shite |
Nonsense / poor quality / excrement depending on context |
| Slag |
To tease / mock someone, often affectionately |
| Thon |
That / that one over there. Common in the North. |
| Wee |
Small / little. Also used affectionately or constantly in everyday speech. |
| Up to ninety |
Very busy / excited / stressed |
| Wagon |
An unpleasant woman; can also be teasing depending on tone |
| Wan |
One / that one |
| What about ye? |
Hello / how are you? |
| Ye |
You plural |
| Yer man |
That man. Yer man from Dublin, Yer man with the hair |
| Yer one/Yer woman |
That woman. Yer one = southern. Yer woman = northern. |
| You may do… |
Imperative. You may go quick = go quickly |
| Your ones |
Your brothers and sisters/your family |
| Yous/Yiz |
You, plural. Northern. |
