list of common irish slang terms and their meanings

List of Common Irish Slang Terms and their Meanings

The Irish use a variety of slang terms, which can be very difficult to understand for someone who is not from the country. This Buzzle article gives a list of Irish slang words as well as phrases that are commonly used in Ireland.

Fun Fact! The Irish slang term 'culchie' is believed to have originated from cúl an tí, meaning the back of the house. In olden times, the country people used to enter houses through front doors only for formal meets, and would otherwise enter through the back door. It might also have originated from the word coillte, meaning woods, to signify that someone is from the rural area, similar to US slang "backwoods".
Most tourists visiting Ireland, often complain that although a majority of the population speak English, they hardly seem to understand a word they say. Well, true enough! The Irish have an English of their own, and one might find themselves dumbfounded amidst a completely foreign vocabulary. For example, being drunk can itself be described in a plethora of ways like ossified, fluthered, in the horrors, langers, locked, paralytic, plastered, scuttered, stocious, twisted and sozzled, and many others. So if you are on your way to Ireland, here is a list of slang terms you should know.
Commonly Used Phrases
Ask me bollocks
Shut up
Arthur Guinness talking
Talking rubbish
Away with ye/away on/aye right
I don't really believe you
Be wide
Be careful
Be dog wide
To be extra vigilant
Bite the back of me bollocks!
Stop annoying me
'Bout ye
How are you doing?
Boxin' the fox
Robbing an orchard
Cheese on your chin
Your fly is open
Circling over Shannon
To be really drunk
Doing a line
Courting, seeing someone
Down the Swanee
Down the drain
Drain da snake
To take a leak
Dressed to the nines
Don in your Sunday best
Dry up
Shut up!
Falling from me
Same as "I've got the runs"
Flying low, you're
Your zip is undone
Go on outta that
No way in hell, or you're pulling my leg
Go way outta that
Dismissive response to indicate disbelief
Haven't got a snowball's chance in hell
No chance
Hockeyed them out of it
Really beat them in a game of football or any other sport being played
I could eat the lamb o' Jayjus through the rungs of a chair
I'm very hungry
How's the form?
How are you?
How's the talent?
Is there anyone good-looking?
I am in me wick
You must be joking
I could eat a baby through bars of a cot
I'm hungry
It'd freeze off a brass monkey
Extremely cold weather
I've a mouth on me
I'm hungry
I've a throat on me
I'm thirsty
I will in me brown
I won't!
I will in me ring
Certainly not!
Lamped him out of it, I
I really hit the guy hard and knocked him out
Life of Reilly
Carefree, hedonistic
Little green man
A small bottle of Jameson's
Millie up!
Start a fight
To not have a baldy
To not have a clue
Commonly Used Slang Terms
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | U | Y |
NAME MEANING
Acting the maggot Playing around with something
Any Use? Any good?
Apache Joyrider
Ape Fool
Agro Fight
Ara be whist Shut up
Back
Babby A baby or a little child
Bad dose A bad illness or disease
Bags A bad or messy job
Banjaxed Something which is broken or useless
Be wide Be careful
Bird Girlfriend, date
Blather To talk endlessly
Bog Toilet, restroom
Bollocks Stupid/somebody one doesn't like
Bogey Snot
Bogtrotter A country person
Bolloxed Very drunk
Boozer Pub
Bouzzie, Bowsie* Young good-for-nothing person
Boyo A young person
Bucketing Raining heavily
Bushed Very tired
bender A very long drinking session
Bucket of snots An ugly person
Buzzies Travelers
Back
Caffler An idiot
Cake-hole Mouth
Capper Someone who is handicapped
Chancer Dodgy/risky character
Cheek Disrespect/talk back
Cheesed Off To be mad at someone
Chinwag A chat
Chiseler A young boy
Clatter Slap
Cod A joke
Cop on! Don't be such an idiot
Cow Juice Milk
Cracker Wonderful
Chuffed To be pleased or happy
Culchie Someone from the country-side
Cutie A beautiful young girl
Back
Da Father
Danny boy Twenty pounds
Dear Expensives
Diabolical Really terrible
Divil Devil
Dodder Waste time
Dodgy Impaired
Donkey's years A long time
Dope An idiot
Dosser A lazy person
Dote A cute person or baby
Dummy Pacifier
Dear Expensive
*Diddly-aye music Irish traditional music
Dim Stupid
Back
Eat the head off To abuse verbally
Eejit Idiot
Engaged Busy
Back
Fag Cigarette
Fair play Well-done
Fella A guy friend or buddy
Fib A lie
Fla/Flah Someone who is attractive
Flah-ed out To be extremely tired
Flitters Shabby
Fluthered Extremely drunk
Back
Gaff One's home
Gas Something funny
Gawk To stare
Get off with someone To kiss someone
Give out Scold
Gobsmacked Amazed
Back
Hames In a mess
Hammered Extremely drunk
Hard neck Someone who lacks respect for others
Header A crazy person
Holliers Holidays or a vacation
Holy show An embarrassing event
Hooley A party
Horse's hoof Embellished story
Hump off Just leave me alone
Back
In me wick You've got to be joking
Back
Jackeen Someone who lives in Dublin
Jacks Restroom
Jaded Very tired
Jammers Extremely crowded
Jammy Very lucky
Jaysus Jesus
Back
Kip A dump or a dive, (also, a nap)
Knackered Very tired
Back
Langers Drunk
Lashing Raining very heavily
Lay off Shut up, stop it, or leave me alone
Legging Running very fast
Letting on Pretending
Local The nearest pub
Locked Very drunk
Lawdy daw A snob
Longers Long trousers
Lose the head Lose control
Lush A heavy drinker
Back
Ma Mother
Manky Extremely dirty
Mary Hick A woman who is old-fashioned
Mentaller One who is crazy
Messages Groceries
Milling Fighting
Mitch To bunk school
Mot Girlfriend
Motherless Drunk
Murder Very difficult
Back
Naff Uncool
Nice one Well done, good job
Nosh Food
Back
Off the drink To be abstaining from liquor
Off your nut To be crazy
Ole lady/wan One's old mother
Ole man/fella One's old father
Ossified Drunk
Back
Paralytic Drunk beyond capacity
Pictures Movies
Plastered Very drunk
Plonker Idiot
Polluted To be extremely drunk
Pinch Steal
Back
Quare Unusual
Queer hawk A peculiar person
Back
Rapid Amazing
Reddener Blush
Reef Beat up
Root To look for
Ruction A bad, loud argument
Back
Sap One who is weak and fragile
Scab Someone who borrows all the time
Scalped To get your hair cut short
Scarlet To blush
Scatter To sppedily run away from something
Scram! Go away!
Scratcher Bed
Shattered Tired
Shook To be ill or scared
Shorts Liquor shots
Slagging Making fun of someone
Snapper A child or a baby
Snobby weather! Are you ignoring me?
Specky four-eyes Nickname for someone who wears glasses
Stop the lights! Really?!
Stocious Very drunk
Skint Broke
Skive To evade
Back
Thick Dumb
Throwing shapes To show off
Tool Idiot
Twisted Very drunk
Ta Thanks
Back
Up the yard! Get lost!
Up to ninety! Ready to explode
Back
Wet the tea Make some tea
Whist Keep quiet
Wind up To make fun
Back
Yonks A long time
Yank* An American
Back
* Considered derogatory and/or offensive
Now that you are armed with all the lingo basics, go ahead, and get blathering with your Irish pals, even if you don't have a baldy of what's going on!

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