Top ten Irish expressions an American picked up living there

How about 'I have to say I’m only after saying Bollocks for the love of God'

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Top ten Irish expressions an American picked up living in Ireland

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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?

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