So you’ve heard recently on this site about Irishsims in America and Irishisms in Ireland. Here’s my top ten list of words I can’t shake as an American who lived in Ireland and now has returned.
You may note even only by my name I have not an ounce of Irish blood, but I did marry an Irish woman who’d been in the States much of her adult life, and we decided to move (back) to Ireland, about 7 miles outside Longford, in 2007. We lasted there a few difficult years, as the floor caved in beneath the economy and we were hard-pushed to get by. I mean, hard-pressed.
Overall I am of the opinion that the Irish speak English with more charm than any other peoples on the planet − even, or especially, those older codgers. And even when the origin of the expression might be British (e.g. bollocks, which dates back as far as the Wycliffe Bible of 1382), the Irish have a way of making it their own.
So coming back to New York I found there are some expressions I’d adopted that are just difficult to drop − for sometimes , as Larry Donnelly pointed out, the Irish expression just beats out the American substitute (and don’t even get me started on how much I prefer and miss their spelling). Of course there must be a fine line drawn between the inclination to use a foreign expression versus the danger of appearing pretentious.
It isn’t easy to resist temptation, although usually one must. Take the Irish word ye, meaning you, second person plural. To my knowledge American northerners don’t have a word for this; in the south there’s the concatenated equivalent y’all but that would sound foolish coming from a New Yorker, except when served with irony. The best we can do is “all of you,” which, trust me, is lame. Yet to use ye here would seem even more insane; your friends would think you’d become a Shakespearian.
Anyway here’s my list of 10 of the hardest to give back.
1. “A load of bollocks.” Maybe because I didn’t grow up with it, bollocks just sounds so much more gutsy than any American equivalents. And please note that a person can be “a bollocks,” which also sounds fabulous. And speaking of cursing, which we must speak of, let us not overlook the curious euphemisms feck and shite, which are superior to our substitutions (although it must be said that, at least in proper company, the originals are preferred on both sides of the Atlantic, in my experience).
2. “For the love of God.” I’m sure I’m not the first to note that the Irish also are occasionally given to mildly blasphemous utterances of great richness, such as “For the love of God!” or “Holy Mother of Divine God!”… and in the country parts the abrupt Bejayzus! or any of its subtle variants. Not only am I not Irish, I’m not Catholic, but there are times I’d love to praise the Lord in this colorful manner, but must catch myself. I mean, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I’m not, after all, Irish.
3. “I have to say.” Then I have to say that “I have to say” is hard to rival as a way of starting to say something that you just have to say. And you can’t be serious, you absolutely must be jokin’ if you think we Americans have anything like a better way of stating that you can’t possibly be serious.
4. “Giving out.” And who could possibly come up with a superior description of getting angry and letting ‘em have it than “giving out”? Seriously. In fact there’s many would tell you it’s only the best way of making sure he doesn’t think you let him away with it and you know it’s only worse he’s gettin’!
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5. “Brilliant.” Mr. Donnelly implies that the Irish are appalled by awesome. Unfortunately that was not my impression. I think it’s creeping in, especially with the young, which is too bad. Brilliant even sounds brilliant, it is much more brilliant than awesome, although brill is not. And in all fairness (oops) there’s really no reason an American can’t say brilliant. Feel free to use it just after finishing this article, in fact.
6. “Dead.” Now you must admit there can be a bit of a strain of melancholy in the Irish temperament, which may explain why the word “dead” seems to carry such a heavy burden. You’re “dead on,” “dead right,” “dead gorgeous”, dead dead dead. And if fact I like it, it does add a certain (dead) weight to the matter at hand.
7. “Knackered.” Not exactly sure why, but this might be my favo(u)rite. Now I don’t know if it has its origins in the pejorative word for the travelers − there is that similarity − but moving right along let’s just say that saying you’re “completely exhausted” just can’t hold a candle to “Man, I’m knackered.” It’s the kind of statement that can only be answered with, “Will you just go to bed then?”
8. “I’m only after.” I’m only after compiling this list and a comet fell in the yard. So now your man is comin’ to dig it up Tuesday week. (Okay, I just had to get those ones in there too.)
9. “Mind your head.” Perhaps a bit redundant, but then “watch your head” is only surrealistically possible.
10.” It is what it is.” Lastly there is this somewhat frayed saying that truly expresses the Irish soul, in my presumptuous estimation. I suppose it’s been common parlance even in the States for a while, but I first encountered it among the Irish, and there is an Irish translation (tá sé mar atá sé), so I think the Irish can claim it in all its unarguable clarity regarding the current state of things.
So at the end of the day it can’t be helped, language changes, language extends and cross-pollinates, mainly through pretentious eejits carrying weird-sounding words across oceans and then it becomes something different, and then well what can you say but it is what it is, in all honesty?
* Ivan Nahem is a writer and yoga teacher; he lives in Woodside, Queens.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.artemis133 | Jan 04, 2013, 09:06 PM EST
I grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania, here in the U.S. Many people here are descended from the Italian, Irish, and Polish immigrants who came here to work in the coal mines. Here, the plural is youse, colloquially. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph" I've heard, and we also drop a lot of our last consonants. Dis (this), dat (that), and dose (those) are also common among original inhabitants of this small city. And that's just a small representation!
simplesandy | Dec 21, 2012, 09:42 AM EST
I am from Pittsburgh pennsylvania and we have our own slang. yunz is a word we all use in pittsburgh. and when I was visiting with some friends from scottland they used the same word yenz. I thought that was great. means all of you. and Pittsburgers also say pop for soda pop because a soda in Pittsburgh is pop with icecream. and for rubberbands we say gumbands. I think its nice to hear other countries and even states use different slang for things. like one day I was at bingo here in Ireland and this one guy won 3 times and when he was going to collect his money someone said your takin the piss now they told him. I laughed and they said it meant they were like taking advantage. and thats another one they use here is the word like.. (you know its like) .. and every other word has the word like . lol and some say before they start to talk they say(comhere) they want your attention..lol and when they are telling you something and are talking about someone they would say his name in the beginning then they would say your man through out the conversation. I used to say what man till I learned he was the one they were talking about. or they would say (your one) meaning the person they are talking about.and knackered means tired and knackers is what Americans call gypseys. (sorry if my spelling is off) and row ( pronounced rowl) is a spat or argument.
simplesandy | Dec 21, 2012, 09:11 AM EST
I am an American living in Ireland for last 7 years and these are ones I have picked up...what about eejut meaning(idiot)...and one I use is your grand or thats grand meaning (ok or thats alright). omadawn meaning (total fool)I love the way the Irish talk but some would say its lazy because they leave out last letters sometimes.like heart they say har.and better they say be er . and for thyroid they say tyroid and done say the th .. like bat for bath or tankyou for thankyou. and tird for third. got to love em xo
oTuachair | Dec 21, 2012, 06:52 AM EST
JamieLM - The expression "yous" is used primarily in and around New York. I heard people saying it when I was there two weeks ago. "Ya'll" would be found in the south, of course, and "you guys" is common elsewhere in the USA. I have also heard a unique one in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, that I can only attempt to spell as "yoons." I was told it was the concatenation of the grammatical train wreck "you ones."
metajag | Dec 20, 2012, 09:38 PM EST
@Lettrim666 "Bollocks is an anglo-saxon word. Did you forget to do your background research Ivan?" And even when the origin of the expression might be British (e.g. bollocks, which dates back as far as the Wycliffe Bible of 1382), the Irish have a way of making it their own.
TayandCake | Dec 20, 2012, 05:48 PM EST
Bollocks me hole
ejcphoto | Dec 20, 2012, 02:47 PM EST
What happened to " yer grand". that covers so much ground itself or what about tis herself, or tis himself. and the most powerful of all.. FFSake!
WoundedKnee | Dec 20, 2012, 01:07 PM EST
Why does Irish Central insist on regularly regaling us with these corny articles on supposedly picturesque speech. As leitrim points out below, in many cases there's nothing specifically Irish about these phrases. In fact, I remember the last time I was in Ireland some idiot tried to tell me that "Cheers mate" was an Irish expression. It is now--but it was imported in the past few years from London!
Searlit | Dec 20, 2012, 12:29 PM EST
The Puritans used Ye, need I say more?
Will Hamilton | Dec 20, 2012, 11:37 AM EST
The knackers yard was where horses were sent when they were past their prime and no longer able to work hence the term Knackered. Bollocks is just one the deadliest words you'll hear in Dublin. It's just a massey great adaptable expression with multiple uses: me bollocks!, ye bollcks!, that's bollocks, it's bolloxed!....the list is endless!
slainte39 | Dec 20, 2012, 11:31 AM EST
Leitrim666...Isn't the whole articl icle about Hiberno-English expression ssions (English) and not Gaeilge.
oonafitz | Dec 20, 2012, 11:30 AM EST
Ah yes, "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" --how often we heard my mother use that, and knew we were in for it.
Leitrim666 | Dec 20, 2012, 10:50 AM EST
The phrases may be Irish but the words bollocks, dead, brilliant and knackered are used much more widely in the English speaking world than just in Ireland. Bollocks is an anglo-saxon word. Did you forget to do your background research Ivan?
jamieLM | Dec 20, 2012, 10:30 AM EST
I'm from the Midwest and have friends and family in the South and the West and I've never heard anyone say "youse." It would be "you guys." "Grand" is almost never used to describe anything. As an American, I'm on vacation and never "on holiday."
jdavisson | Dec 20, 2012, 10:25 AM EST
A couple of my favorites are: He's the head off of ye...when someone looks like you. Also, "counting the sleeps" until the big event. So much easier for a child to understand. Then there's also "good man yourself." what a lovely way to applaud someone's efforts.
ellenred | Dec 20, 2012, 10:06 AM EST
ah, my grandmother used to say Jaysu Jaysus, Mary and Joseph And as to New Yorkers, it's "youse" as in "Are youse guys going with us?' And I've learned that when I'm in Ireland, I'm on holiday, not a vacation LOL
carrickcourt | Dec 20, 2012, 09:47 AM EST
One word you hear a lot in Ireland is of course "grand". "A grand day" etc. Not sure why the Irish use this word a lot and why it is not used that much here in the USA.
Frosty38 | Dec 20, 2012, 09:28 AM EST
I happen to be Boston irish and some of this I have not hear before!!!!! however I have heard family say "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD"
oTuachair | Dec 20, 2012, 09:14 AM EST
Oh, and of course "y'all" in the American south as you pointred out.
oTuachair | Dec 20, 2012, 09:12 AM EST
The equivalent of "ye" in New York would be the grmatically incorrect "yous" or "yous guys." Elsewhere in the US you would probably hear "you guys" for second person plural.