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Understanding the Irish brogue - a guide to Ireland’s colourful language

How to understand what they're really saying

CONN CORRIGAN,

IrishCentral Contributing Writer

Published Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 10:07 AM

Updated Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 10:07 AM

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I'm sorry? Come again? - understand what the Irish are saying

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"Craic"

This is a very common Irish expression that loosely means fun. However, it is especially used in relation to Ireland's pub culture, and in association with music. As in, "My God, we had some craic in the pub last night!" (We had a great time in the pub last night.) Other associated expressions include, "So what's the craic?" ("What's up?") "The craic was mighty!" ("It was a lot of fun!") "She is some craic on a night out" ("She is good fun when she goes out.")

"Eejit"

An idiot. "He's a right eejit altogether." (He is a complete idiot.) In terms of offensiveness, this is very mild.

"Fair play"

This simply means "well done." As in, "fair play to you for getting the job."

"Fart around"

Farting around can basically be translated as "goofing around."

"God, I didn't get a thing done at work all day to day - I was farting around the whole time"

"Do"

When Irish person uses "do" as a noun, as in "a do," this refers to a party or a gathering.

"It was some do they put on last night, wasn't it?"

"Go on outta that"

Literally means, "Go on out of that" and translates as "No way!" or, "Get out of here"

As in:

Frank: "So I scored four goals at the game last week."

Jim: "Go on outta that! You did not score four goals at the game."

"Gobshite"

A mildly offensive term for an idiot.

How's the form?

"How are you?" To which you might reply, "I'm in great form, thanks." Can also be used in the sense, "He was in awfully bad form last night." ("He was bad humored last night.")

"Good luck"

They're only saying goodbye, they're not actually wishing you any sort of luck at all.

And for a good introduction into the proper usage of words like "feck", "bollocks" and "arse" , check out the above clip of the classic Irish sitcom, "Fr. Ted."

Are there any we've left out? Let us know below.

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ancavker | May 17, 2012, 11:41 AM EDT

Curtiba: The accent is closer to the English accent, because the Irish copy everything from the old colonial power (England), as they perceive it to be better, more fashionable, more sophisticated. However they are still great begrudgers, that (unfortunate) trait they have kept. It is something the English do not have.

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Seanmor | May 08, 2012, 10:13 AM EDT

Not only are Yank tourists confused by some of the expressions in reland, they are also puzzled by usage of the English in that language's homeland. In June of 89 I attempted to enter a travel agent's office in Derby - English Midlands- but I couldn't open the door. Then I noticed a sign that said: "If office closed, plesde ring." I looked for the door beel to ring but there was none. Then I realized that "ring" to the English means make a phone call.

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abhainn | May 02, 2012, 10:42 PM EDT

The article refers twice to "the clip" but there is no clip.

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abhainn | May 02, 2012, 10:38 PM EDT

Well, you made "a pig's mickey" (to use another Irish expression) of this attempt at a dictionary. It is badly written, sometimes confusing, and plain wrong in some instances. And the word "crack" (not "craic"), meaning entertaining conversation, is an English word, not an Irish one, from the fifteenth century. Go look it up in the Oxford Dictionary.

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Curitiba | May 02, 2012, 05:29 PM EDT

Compared to how my grandparents dspoke, with loads of Gaeilge (can't write Gaelic,as I'll have the spelling mafia on my back, even though everyone called it Gaelic in those days) interjections, its shocking how indistinguishable from my London English all the expressions are among the young generation of Irish. Even the accent of the young Irish is far more English than it was a generation or two ago. My personal favourite word is "ye" for plural "you". As you (ye) may know, many words and sentences were transliterated intact from the original Irish, giving the English they spoke a certain clarity and poeticsm that it would not have had if they had spoken Standard British English.

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