Irish Slang: Top 80 most used expressions
Arriving in Ireland, you may be forgiven for thinking you have been hoodwinked, cajoled, led up the garden path or just plain misinformed as to the language widely spoken here. Since before time us Irish have managed to invent our very own Slang words and phrases to unleash on all unfamiliar with the lingo! Here, I have highlighted the most commonly heard words, their meanings and provided examples of how they are used in everyday speech. Have fun, you will be talking like a seasoned pro in no time!
Credit to suziehq for the list
| SLANG WORD | MEANING | EXAMPLE |
| Acting the Maggot | Fooling and messing around | Stop acting the maggot |
| Bad dose | Severe illness | You got a bad dose of it, didn’t you |
| Bags (To make a bags of something) | Make a mess of doing something | He made a right bags of that |
| Bang on | Right, Accurate, Correct | You are bang on |
| Banjaxed | Broken | The chair is banjaxed |
| Black Stuff | Guinness | A pint of the black stuff please |
| Boyo | Male, Juvenile | Come on you boyo! |
| Brutal | Awful, Dreadful | It was a brutal tackle |
| Bucketing down | Raining hard | It is bucketing down |
| Bunk Off | Skip (school, work) | I know you bunked off today |
| Chancer | Someone who takes a risk | He is a real chancer |
| Chiseler | Young child (Dublin slang) | He was a chiseler at the time |
| Ciotóg | Left-Handed | I am a Ciotog and proud |
| Cod/Codding ya | To pull someone’s leg | I am only codding ya! |
| Craic | Fun, Gossip, Going on’s | What’s / Where’s the craic? |
| Crack on | Continue on, Get going | I must crack on, lots to do |
| Culchie | Person from rural / agricultural area | She is a culchie originally |
| Cute hoor | Person who quietly engineers things to their own advantage | He is a real cute hoor |
| Delira and Excira | Delighted and Excited (Dublin slang) | Are you delira and excira about it? |
| Deadly | Brilliant, Fantastic, Great | That was a deadly film |
| Donkey’s years | For a very very long time | They have lived there donkey’s years |
| Dosser | Someone not working or is messing about, up to no good | They are a couple of dosser’s |
| Eat the head off | To give out to someone | Don’t eat the head off me |
| Eejit | Complete fool, doing something silly | You are such an eejit |
| Earwiging | Listening in on a private conversation | You were earwiging again, Yes? |
| Effin’ and Blindin’ | Swearing and Cursing | He was effin’ and blindin’ non stop |
| Eff off | Polite swear word (for the F word) | Ah just eff off will ya |
| Fair play! | Well done! | Fair play mate! |
| Feck Off | Go away (polite version), used to show surprise or shock | Feck off . . . . don’t be bothering me |
| Fella | Used for your guy, as in ‘Me Fella’ partner/husband/boyfriend | Is your fella going to be there? |
| Fierce | Very Good, Great, Excellent | It was a fierce performance |
| Fine thing | Good looking man or woman | That guy is a fine thing |
| Floozie | Woman of dubious moral attributes | The place is full of floozie’s |
| Fluthered | Very Drunk | I was absolutely fluthered last night |
| Gaff | Home, to have a ‘ free gaff ‘ means you are home alone | I will pop over to your gaff later |
| Gammy | Crooked, or odd looking | He had a gammy leg |
| Gander | Quick glance | Take a quick gander in here first |
| Gas | Funny or Amusing | He is a gas man |
| Gawk | To stare rudely | Stop gawking |
| Get Outta That Garden | Fun phrase used in a conversation to get a laugh, reaction | wud ya get outta that garden!!! |
| Grand | Alot of Uses, most popular are: reply to How are you, How are you feeling, Being told of a decision | We will meet you there – ” Grand “; Dinner will be 10 minutes – ” Grand “ |
| Hames/Haymes | Complete mess | I made a complete haymes of that work |
| Holy Joe | Self Righteous person | She is a bit of a holy joe actually |
| Holy show | disgraceful scene | She made a holy show of herself |
| How’s she cuttin’? | Hi,How are you, What’s news? | How’s she cuttin’? |
| Howya | Hi, Hello | Howya doin’? |
| Jackeen | A rural person’s name for a Dubliner | You are a jackeen . . . .my sympathies! |
| Jacks | Toilet | I’m off to the jacks |
| Jo Maxi | Taxi, Cab | We can get a jo maxi in later |
| Kip | A dump of a place and also a sleep | I had a quick kip before dinner; It was a real kip of a hotel |
| Knackered | Exhausted, Tired | I was completely knackered |
| Langers | Drunk | She was totaly langers last Friday |
| Lash | 3 meanings – To rain hard, To make an attempt at something or To go out drinking | It was lashing out of the heavens, Give it a lash or Let’s go on the lash Saturday |
| Leg it | Run away quickly | Come on, we need to leg it now! |
| Locked | Very drunk | He was totally locked at closing time |
| Manky | Dirty, Flithy, Disgusting | My hair feels manky, it needs a wash |
| Moran | Fool | He looks a right moran |
| Mortified | Highly Embarrassed | I was mortified when i realised my mistake |
| Mot | Girlfriend (Dublin slang) | Where’s your mot tonight? |
| Murder | Very Difficult or to really want to do something | Finding a taxi was murder, I could murder a Guinness |
| Nixer | Job done for cash to avoid tax | He can do it as a nixer for you |
| Not the full shilling | Not fully sane | I don’t think he is the full shilling |
| On the tear | Going drinking | We were on the tear last night |
| Ossified | Drunk | W got ossified |
| Oul Fella | Your Father, Dad (Dublin slang) | My oul fella is out at the moment |
| Oul Dear / Oul Wan | Your Mother, Mom | My oul dear is out shopping |
| Pictures | Movies, Film | We went to the pictures a week ago |
| Puss (To have a puss on you) | Sulky face | Take that puss off your face |
| Rugger Bugger | Someone posh, loud and loves Rugby | He is a rugger bugger for sure |
| Savage | Great, Brilliant | It was a savage contest till the end |
| Scarlet | Very embarrassed | I was scarlet |
| Shattered | Exhausted | After driving, I was shattered |
| Slag | nb: Use a verb to mean make fun of someone in a nice way oe else it has the same meaning as elsewhere ie – common prostitute | He was only slagging you, don’t worry |
| Sorry | Means Sorry and also Excuse me, Pardon me | Sorry, can I get in there please |
| Story? (What’s the) | Hi, What’s happening | What’s the story Rory? |
| Suckin’ diesel (Now you’re) | Now your talking, Now your doing well | Now you are suckin diesel my friend! |
| The Pale | Anywhere in the region of Dublin | I am living just outside The Pale |
| Thick | Extremely stupid | He is as thick as a plank |
| Throw shapes | Show off, sometimes agressively | They were all throwing shapes in the pub |
| Trinners | Trinity College Dublin | Did you go to Trinners to do your degree? |
from IrelandBeforeYouDie