108 Comments

• danieloconnell | Jun 04, 2013, 05:06 PM EDT

  hello codex I'm born bred and still living in Ireland and the author is correct on all counts its always chipper the other names are only used by english people and a ride is a hot looking girl or guy

• Codex | May 12, 2013, 10:52 AM EDT

  Tbh, it sounds as if the writer hasn't really got much of a clue about the subject...

• Codex | May 12, 2013, 10:50 AM EDT

  I agree with the 'chipper' thing too. I've never heard it called that. It's called either the 'chippy', the 'chip shop' or the 'fish and chip shop'...

• Nyx | Apr 30, 2013, 04:02 AM EDT

  Hmm. My husband has always referred to it as a "chippy" and not a "chipper", but I suppose that could be a regional thing, too. (He's from N. Ireland.) The definition of "ride" here misses the mark, but others have pointed that out, too. I'm surprised that "fanny" has been left off the list. Here in the southern states of the U.S., using "fanny" refers to the backside. However I learned quickly from my husband, in british terminology, it's essentially like saying p**sy. Had a giggle over that one.

• Fish Hook | Apr 17, 2013, 04:31 PM EDT

  JFK was always chided to have had an IRISH temper. The word IRE apparently meant "hot or hot-tempered". Tracing it back way down before modern history, it might be that a Comet Landed somewhere in this region and in those days the spoken language was EGYPTIAN and the word IRE was the equivalent of the Egyptian God "RE" in reference to the Comet or The SUN. How about that?

• Codex | Apr 02, 2013, 02:04 PM EDT

  Most of these words have the same meaning in England, Wales and Scotland as they do in Ireland. There's nothing particularly 'Irish' about them, apart perhaps for '2' and '4'. Btw, the definition of 'ride' is not quite right. ;)

• Bridgit | Mar 15, 2013, 12:49 PM EDT

  It amuses me that so many Americans think they know so much about the Irish.The accent varies from one area to another, but a lot of the words are exactly the same in English (as spoken here in England!) but pronounced differently. The N.Irish accent is much harsher than that of the South.

• Eireannach | Mar 08, 2013, 08:39 AM EST

  Why do so many people on this site claim to be in Ireland when they've probably never been out of their basement in Hicksville, Ohio???????

• Marilyn Abshire | Feb 16, 2013, 07:59 AM EST

  We called it a gum boil if on the guums and a canker sore if some place else in the mouth. A jumper here is a skirt with an attached top which is worn with a blouse under it. We call it a sidewalk if paved and a footpath if not. Those are the words we use in Michigan or at least in my family.

• bunkerisland | Feb 15, 2013, 06:26 PM EST

  And a "laneway" must be a foot path!

• bunkerisland | Feb 15, 2013, 06:26 PM EST

  And a "laneway" must be a foot path!

• LiamtheDream | Feb 11, 2013, 06:28 PM EST

  The term "ride" is used to depict a loose woman, i.e."She's only an oul ride", then again, if one sees a nice looking woman, he may say "I'd love to get up on her and ride her all night long". Obviously, it comes from the Horse racing industry, or if you want to insult a girl...." Go way you dirty oul ride".

• LiamtheDream | Feb 11, 2013, 06:28 PM EST

  The term "ride" is used to depict a loose woman, i.e."She's only an oul ride", then again, if one sees a nice looking woman, he may say "I'd love to get up on her and ride her all night long". Obviously, it comes from the Horse racing industry, or if you want to insult a girl...." Go way you dirty oul ride".

• LiamtheDream | Feb 11, 2013, 06:28 PM EST

  The term "ride" is used to depict a loose woman, i.e."She's only an oul ride", then again, if one sees a nice looking woman, he may say "I'd love to get up on her and ride her all night long". Obviously, it comes from the Horse racing industry, or if you want to insult a girl...." Go way you dirty oul ride".

• LiamtheDream | Feb 11, 2013, 06:28 PM EST

  The term "ride" is used to depict a loose woman, i.e."She's only an oul ride", then again, if one sees a nice looking woman, he may say "I'd love to get up on her and ride her all night long". Obviously, it comes from the Horse racing industry, or if you want to insult a girl...." Go way you dirty oul ride".

• STEVENSTAR | Jan 23, 2013, 11:10 AM EST

  @gumboil | Nov 16, 2012, 07:42 PM EST I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU.. IM AN IRISH MAN MYSELF BUT IM ONLY IN MY 30S YOU WILL FIND WITH A SMALL MINORITY OF OLD IRISH ITS AN INFERIORITY COMPLEX ABOUT THE BRITISH.. BECAUSE IRELAND WE HAVE 4 MILLION AS OPPOSED TO 68MILLION IN THE UK SO THEY ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO BIG THEMSELVES UP ,... TRUE IM VERY PROUD OF MY IRISH CULTURE BUT IM ALSO PROUD TO HAVE THE UK AS MY NEIGHBOR.. I COULDNT EVER IMAGINE IF IRELAND WAS GEOGRAPHICALLY LOCATED NEXT TO A COUNTRY LIKE SYRIA OR INDIA HOW MUCH WORSE OFF OUR COUNTRY AND CULTURE WOULD BE.... PEOPLE LIKE SEAMUSHAN ARE EITHER IRA REPUBLICAN TYPES WHO HAVE A CHIP ON THEIR SHOULDERS ABOUT LIFE IN GENERAL OR JUST LOVE A GOOD WINGE BUT THANKFULLY THESE ARE IN THE MINORITY !!

• STEVENSTAR | Jan 23, 2013, 11:03 AM EST

  seamushan | Jan 21, 2013, 04:11 PM EST I TOTALY DISAGREE WITH YOU IM FROM CORK AND MOST OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE SPEAK VERY WELL ... IM TAKING IT YOUR FROM THE OLDER GENERATION ... MOST IRISH SPEAK VERY WELL AND MOST OF OUR WORDS ARE SIMILAR TO THE BRITISH PEOPLE ... ALSO MOST PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN IRELAND WATCH MOST BRITISH TV LIKE BBC AND ITV AND READ BRITISH NEWSPAPERS AND SHOP IN BRITISH STORE LIKE ARGOS AND DEBENHAMS ETC I JUST THINK YOUR EITHER AMERICAN LIVING IN AMERICA OR YOUR ONE OF THEM NATIONALIST IRA TYPES LIVING HERE IN IRELAND ... BUT IM IRISH AND HAVING WORKED IN LONDON FOR 10 YEARS IM HAPPY THAT IRISH AND BRITISH RELATIONS HAVE NEVER BEEN BETTER..

• seamushan | Jan 21, 2013, 04:11 PM EST

  @Gumboil. To say that the Irish speak like the English is utterly ridiculous. Go down to Cork or Kerry and try and tell me that it is similar English. You probably wouldn’t understand many words at all. Irish people are distinct from British people because we have our own ancient traditional music, our own ancient Irishdancing, our own national sporting games hurling and gaelic football, our own culture. Hurling in particular being the oldest and fastest field game in the world. Of course the British quest to dominate and subjugate her little neighbor would undoubtedly have immersed some of the culture but to say that there is no difference is ludicrous. Now forgive me whilst I go outside with my sliotar and try and puc it across the Irish sea at your ignorance.

• The Auld Fella | Jan 21, 2013, 09:48 AM EST

  Gumboil, hate to pee on your chips... How it all began: In 1902 the Lyons family started their little tea business at High Street in Dublin, near Christchurch Cathedral. In 1932, Lyons moved to Marlborough Street, behind the Gresham hotel. 1963 saw Lyons move up in the world, to a state-of-the-art factory in Goldenbridge, Dublin 8. The very first on-pack promotion by Lyons Tea was in 1963. When people bought a pack of Lyons Tea, they could hope to find a voucher for between 10 shillings and £10 inside. Iconic campaigns, such as the Minstrels and the very popular car giveaway would become a vital part of the Lyons Tea brand over the next 25 years. In the late 1970s, Lyons reinvented the wheel by going round. The change to round tea bags was so successful that Lyons managed to capture over 65% of the Irish tea market. The famous "Lyons Tea jingle" played an important role in the Lyons success story, and is still one of the first things people remember today. Lyons Tea became a part of the Unilever family in 1996

• Pillbug | Jan 02, 2013, 06:41 PM EST

  Ummmm, American's use stuffed too. @Portia - American's use youse as well, or if they don't depending on region, they understand it.

• Portia_O'Neill | Jan 01, 2013, 12:02 PM EST

  Also left off the list are, "gots" and "youse" as in, "I gots to run to the pub, are youse coming with me?"

• lecorri | Dec 10, 2012, 11:09 AM EST

  You missed rubber. (an eraser)

• STEVENSTAR | Dec 06, 2012, 07:58 PM EST

  Im Irish i dont use half the words up there in this article.. i love this newspaper and ill say it again again and again its so FAR REMOVED FROM IRELAND AND US IRISH ITS HILLARIOUS .... Its so HOLLYWOOD IT MAKES ME LAUGH !!!

• portadown | Dec 01, 2012, 09:22 PM EST

  The difference between slang and colloquialism is that slang is usually in widespread use within a large area whilst colloquialisms do not travel very far. Most slang in Ireland is picked up from British or American TV so would be more or less understood either side of the Atlantic. More difficult are some of the regional accents of Britain and Ireland which can be very hard on the ear. Many Londoners for instance say “Gi me a bi a bu’ a” for “give me a bit of butter”. They do not pronounce “t”, “v” “f” or “r” in this context . Urban Irish English sounds much more American in comparison, as all letters are pronounced. In rural Ireland however many words are strangled with local pronounciations making them unintelligible to most outsiders - except maybe Appalachians.

• Seanmor | Nov 21, 2012, 11:22 AM EST

  pilib: I'm not thrilled with the above aricle, but it does contain some impoetant info. The average Irish person also says: "I saw", not "I seen", "have gone", not "have went", "Where it it?", not "Where is it at", and a few other such phrases which differ from their U.S equivalents.

• pilib04 | Nov 17, 2012, 12:10 PM EST

  How many times does the Irish Central have to recycle articles?

• gumboil | Nov 16, 2012, 07:42 PM EST

  I rather enjoy reading your paper but,sorry to be serious,it does offer some insight into how the Irish-British thing is so distorted.. Apart from Ride and Hotpress (and press is an old English word for cupboard) all these words are normal British words.Why do you call them Irish words? Surely its obvious that the English the Irish speak would be British English.Secondly ,to my surprise (having stupidly assumed the Irsish are drinking beer etc all the time I see an article about how the Irish all love a cuppa (thats a British expression of TEA! .And to make it more fascinating ,apparently of the two these they mainly drink, one is called LYONS!! Now for me ,as a fairly old man everyone grew up in Britain drinking LYONS tea,it was certainly one of Britains greatest brand names particularly because it was part of the huge chain of tea shops all over Britain that spread after the first world war .They were more universal than MacDonalds and served up all kinds of meals and snacks They were the first attemps to give the common man cheap food in very atractive surroundings ..ask and ex GI about them if they are still alive Joe Lyons company closed down its tea shops years ago in the fifties and Ive never seen Lyons tea on sale in Britain but apparently its still going strong in Ireland! All this shows that at heart Ireland and Britain are still really the same country for all those people who fight to keep them apart..

• nenagheire | Nov 11, 2012, 05:43 PM EST

  yeh its intresting

• butlerreport | Oct 25, 2012, 12:24 PM EDT

  Believe me when I tell you that nobody in the US cares.

• johnbox007 | Oct 23, 2012, 03:38 PM EDT

  Sorry if my post is confusing.it didnt come out the way i wanted.

• johnbox007 | Oct 23, 2012, 03:28 PM EDT

  This is a really bad article.alot of these terms are used in England aswell.Hot press and yoke the only ones. banjaxed = broken scoops = alcoholic beverage acting the maggot = acting like a fool jacks = toilet coddin = joking bogger = someone from the country savage/deadly/animal = really good Before you write an article at least know what you talking about or do some research well = how are you whist = be quiet

• Cahtie483 | Oct 21, 2012, 04:46 PM EDT

  Congrats Cherball.

• seanaci | Oct 20, 2012, 01:47 PM EDT

  Um, just a minor edit. "stuffed" - as in "get stuffed" - is not an invitation to have a hearty meal in either Ireland or England.

• biggles008 | Oct 18, 2012, 09:19 AM EDT

  A "Bicycle" is another name for an Irish ride. That one is a good bicycle.

• thumpdrum | Oct 17, 2012, 12:35 PM EDT

  How about, "I know your windys". Referring to knowing a persons private business or private affairs. Generally a Belfast thing as to spy through someones windows of their house.

• AlunPalmer | Oct 12, 2012, 11:39 PM EDT

  I'm an Englishman (Londoner) of Irish (Cork) descent who lives in the US, and half of these (1, 3, 5, 8 and 10) are the same as English slang, which is no real surprise as England is a lot closer to Ireland than America is. Chipper is close enough to English Chippie that I would have understood it without explanation, but Americans wouldn't because they eat 'fries'.

• Cherball | Oct 07, 2012, 11:23 AM EDT

  I married a beautiful ride 23 years ago today.

• celtboi | Oct 04, 2012, 08:56 PM EDT

  scuttered/mouldy/plastered=drunk,Gammy=useless, Hames=to ruin/destroy, Muppet=fool, Stale the white from yer eye and come back for the eyebrow= thief, Arseways=to make a mess of. just a few more :)

• MariettaGator | Oct 04, 2012, 04:22 PM EDT

  Personally I was confused when I heard someone discussing the "good crack" they had at a certain pub.

• Sarah Johnson | Sep 30, 2012, 02:46 PM EDT

  I am American Indian and Southern so I really understand when others don't understand you,but I find alot of the words we were taught and were told are southern are in fact Irish so go figure .

• freckles6 | Sep 29, 2012, 11:08 AM EDT

  My Da always used yoke and we used to laugh at how silly it sounded. "Pass me that yoke, will ya."

• FF | Sep 28, 2012, 02:06 PM EDT

  #8 is well known in the US and #10 has the same exact meaning in the US. #1, #3, #5 and #6 are so obvious that few people would be confused. And I still don't understand #4. Is "yoke" synonymous with "thingamabob"? "Thingamabob" and "thingamajing" are faily common in the US.

• jcadow | Sep 25, 2012, 11:11 AM EDT

  Refer to your Irish mother-in-law's lawn as her "yard" and she'll tear a strip off you. It is a *garden*, whether it contains a flower bed or is completely grass.

• eireog68 | Sep 23, 2012, 06:33 AM EDT

  If I may Interject to BRING Something is intended to use it and return it eg.(like bring the the umbrella) Where as to TAKE something is to Take and not ruturn it.If I tell you to take something I do not expect it back.

• Patricia Reason | Sep 20, 2012, 09:20 PM EDT

  Mostly words I grew up using - the one which confused me when I first heard it was using "bring" when they actually mean "take" - "bring that with you" to someone leaving the house.

• Taiwanlight | Sep 16, 2012, 05:30 AM EDT

  In Belfast, we were aware of both meanings of 'stuffed' and it was customary sometimes for one of our extended family at Xmas to use the word after dinner to great hilarity.

• ZipZap | Sep 14, 2012, 05:46 PM EDT

  In Canada, we've always called running shoes 'runners', and a footpath is not a sidewalk, but an unpaved path. The phrase, "I'll give you a boot" (as in, "I'll kick you in the arse") is not unknown in Canada, but 'boot' in the automotive sense is unknown. And Canadians also use the expression, "I'm stuffed" to indicate they're full. All of the other expressions on the list are unknown to Canadians. And for what it's worth, I'm half-Irish myself but I didn't learn all of the expressions I mentioned from my Irish relatives, they're expressions that have been commonly used in Canada for ages.

• dizzydoodle | Sep 14, 2012, 12:46 PM EDT

  Hi, Understand perfectly, Yorkshire & Irish are same in every direction.

• seamusdenais | Sep 11, 2012, 05:01 PM EDT

  Here is a reverse cultural slang. Do you dig. We say "An Dtuigeann tu" meaning do you understand.

• debimcguin | Sep 06, 2012, 02:41 PM EDT

  I must say the one that I was introduced to the day arrived in Ireland at the airport. A young man said to me "BTW, CRACK, means fun, not a drug as you would think". So if someone said to you "Where's the CRACK?", that would be mean is the party/fun, etc. Thank goodness he let us know, as I would have definately been uncomfortable should anyone have said it to me, lol!!!!!

• GuaranteedIrish | Sep 05, 2012, 04:18 PM EDT

  Lol left out yokeybob, thats how you would refer to someone in a conversation if you cant recall their name eg. I met yokeybob yesterday, your man that lives up the road with the gammy leg(walks with a limp or missing a leg).

• GuaranteedIrish | Sep 05, 2012, 04:10 PM EDT

  Gas = funny haha and weirdly funny, somebody can be great gas meaning they are great fun, or he's a gas man - he's funny in a weird peculiar way, or has a very dry sarcastic sense of humour that leaves you wondering if you should laugh or feel insulted.

• GuaranteedIrish | Sep 05, 2012, 04:02 PM EDT

  Boot - also means kick eg, I'll give you a boot in the arse - I'll give you a kick in the ass. Thinginabob is more English than Irish, Irish equivalent would be thingeymajig (thing-e-ma-jig). Yoke can also be used when describing someone eg he/she's an awful looking yoke meaning he/she is extremely unnatractive. Also "thats a right yoke" is a derogatory term for someone when all other words fail as a description of that person. Slapper is also another word that is quite common in the Irish vocabulary. You may think that it means some one who slaps people a lot, but it a derogatory term for a woman who is fond of casual sex.

• IrishRyan | Sep 03, 2012, 09:47 AM EDT

  im an Irish person born and bred and even im alittle confused by some of these words LOL Americans are confused with the word jumper?? Jumpers a "sweater".

• weehoof | Sep 01, 2012, 09:51 PM EDT

  im sure there are a lot more than 10 Irish Words/sayings that confuse the American folks

• ciaradexy | Aug 30, 2012, 05:36 PM EDT

  Wounded, you lived in Dublin for a few months! Youre not familiar with anything!

• Towngate | Aug 30, 2012, 05:11 PM EDT

  Kaydog1: A 'Gas Man' is used thus: To say "He's a gas man" behind his back is to state he is peculiar in some way - but 'funny' peculiar! To say "You're a gas man" to his face is to let him know you think he is a bit odd - but you like him all the same.

• kaydog1 | Aug 28, 2012, 07:05 PM EDT

  And so what is "a gas man', as in the article? BTW, in Philadelphia, "y'all" becomes "y'uns" - that's how you can tell you're North of the Mason-Dixon line.

• pattbaa | Aug 27, 2012, 02:31 PM EDT

  I wonder if the Dublin Anthem Sprinters were shod in runners. For the confused, bewildered and baffled , "The Anthem Sprinters" is a short-story by Ray Bradbury , and the "setting" is Dublin.

• borefield | Aug 27, 2012, 01:55 PM EDT

  Jachersagain, too much information. I find their sayings interesting and funny for the most part. I will just let my imagination take over.

• IrelandNorth | Aug 27, 2012, 08:07 AM EDT

  The President of the then University College Galway (UCG), (since renamed National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) recounted a humourous anecdote of an American female graduate who, when asked what he had said to her at a commencement ceremony, told her friends he had said she was "georgeous"! Graduates are usually addressed as Gaeilge/in Irish at conferring ceremonies with the term comhghairdeas/congratulations, (phon/pron co-gord-icas!) as they receive their parchments. Undoubtedly, she was too.

• IrelandNorth | Aug 27, 2012, 07:35 AM EDT

  Irish guy talking to Yank in a pub[lic house]/bar. "Las[h]t week, I rented a Galway Hooker (a broad hulled boat peculiar to the region!) and took her(?) out into the bay. An' be jaysus (by Jesus! emphatic), she was a flyier - a real goer (ie was fast and speedy!). I had her sucking diesel (ie the hydraulics were excellent!) before I knew it!" Likely to lead to cultural dissonance, I'd imagine, given the meaning of term hooker generally in the US. And if you're an American Beauty (ie pretty girl!), I wouldn't pull up to an Irish lad (fellah!) at a bus stop in Ireland and ask him if he'd like a ride (sexual intercourse!) somewhere. He'd probably think it was his birthday - an' loose the run of himself (ie his composure). Between pidgeon (ie badly spoken) Irish an' Hiberno-English, s[h]ure 'tis a quare (ie weird!) country we've become.

• GregShox | Aug 26, 2012, 06:05 PM EDT

  This is a lazy, poorly-researched article, listing words which for the most part are commonly used in Britain as well as Ireland. There is nothing uniquely Irish about this list.

• GregShox | Aug 26, 2012, 04:09 PM EDT

  Dragonladyleanne Good girl! Full marks for spotting my little jolk!

• Seanmor | Aug 26, 2012, 03:35 PM EDT

  There are a few words of the Irish language (we never called it Gaelic) in every day usage here in the U.S: "slew" (a crowd) from "slua", the Irish word for "crowd"; smithereens (fragments), from the Irish word "smidiríní"; "galore" (many), from the Irish "go leor", meaning "plenty". Sadly, Irish is the only language in the wrold that is marginalized, if not totally rejected, by many of that country's leading politicians, clergy, journalists and others of influence. When Andrew Greeley mentioned the "self-doubt" and self-hate" of Irish people in his book, "That Most Distressful Nation", he apparently didn't have in mind their negative attitude toward their national language, but that would have strenghened his argument.

• WoundedKnee | Aug 26, 2012, 02:12 PM EDT

  bogside: "The plural for Ya'll is "All ya'll"". I won't argue with you, because I don't claim knowledge of all Southern English, from VA over to TX. All I can say is that I don't think that's common in my neck of the woods. An interesting aspect of y'all is that the possessive form is y'alls, as in "Y'alls meals will be up right away". As regards Irish English, I do not deny that at one time it was distinctive. But it's quite bland now. There used to be nice vocab for family relationships i.e : "Me Ma, Me Da". A "young one" was a girl, a "young fella" was a boy. "Me moh" was My girlfriend. "I gave me moh a wear" was "I kissed my girl-friend". This was the Dublin dialect, the one I know best. And the pathological use of the F* word was much less evident than it is today all over Ireland.

• jimod4343 | Aug 26, 2012, 01:54 PM EDT

  Ireland England/US ------- --------- Cut in two. Cut in half. Come here. Listen to me. Huh? Pardon? How are you? Hello. Plug it out. Unplug it. Puck in the gob. Smack in the mouth. Shtep. (Deriv. Steep) Soak. Turn at the junction. Go the right way.

• mreinhar2001 | Aug 26, 2012, 11:38 AM EDT

  Interesting article with even more interesting comments (though with a quick read it is unclear to me to what StevenStar is referring in his post). I agree that some terms are more familiar to some AMericans than to others. As language evolves, it seems to be related how far one's generation is from the person who brought the tersm to the US. For example I thought "stuffed" was a common term inthe US that anybody would know, though I have never checked to see if others know what it means. Mits and Post (hands and feet), though, are words that do seem to be familiar only to those whose linguistic descent in the U.S. is form an Irish immigrant of ages past. Interesting to say the least.

• jacersagain | Aug 26, 2012, 11:26 AM EDT

  Stroaire - you know that a book called "50 Shades of Grey" is a top seller in Ireland at the moment? The same week that it was published, another book called "Born to Ride" was launched. I wonder why it didn't make the top ten?? And a PS - Craic does mean fun for men... fun being inside a woman's crack.

• Stropaire | Aug 26, 2012, 07:54 AM EDT

  I take issue with your definition of "Ride" Your definition relates to its use in Dublin only. Elsewhere it is used to describe an act of coitus.

• bogsidebunny | Aug 26, 2012, 04:57 AM EDT

  How's about the politican's descriptions: Gobshites, Gombeenmen & Chute Hoors? These 3 wirds describe almost every Irish politician on the planet. PS: Wounded knee: The plural for Ya'll is "All ya'll".

• WoundedKnee | Aug 26, 2012, 02:56 AM EDT

  NoelleP--You are wrong to say that y'all is plural. It can be singular too. For example, I've often been sitting on my own in a restaurant when the waitress came over to ask: Y'all ready to order? I believe it's parallel to the French plural /vous/, which is used with a singular meaning to convey formality or respect.

• WoundedKnee | Aug 26, 2012, 02:51 AM EDT

  Like just about all articles that try to tell us how quaint English is when used by Irish people, this is a load of nonsense. Most of the words cited are just British English, the others are just vulgarities.

• angrypaddy | Aug 26, 2012, 12:58 AM EDT

  Paper never refuesed ink !!What a load of garbage

• STEVENSTAR | Aug 25, 2012, 11:41 PM EDT

  IM IRISH AND I LIVE IN IRELAND HOWS ABOUT THE WORDS IDIOTS WOULD THAT CONFUSE YE TOO ?

• mairint | Aug 25, 2012, 10:12 PM EDT

  Got one wrong for sure! In Ireland a gumboil is a boil or abscess on the root of a tooth, not a mouth ulcer. The gumboil, if advanced, can lead to a swollen jaw.

• dragonladyleanne | Aug 25, 2012, 06:35 PM EDT

  "Yoke" does not mean middle of an egg in the US, either, you are thinking of "yolk". A yoke is part of a horse or oxen harness, or sometimes the top portion of a dress (which goes in the same location, if ladies were horses)! I am from the Southern US, have studied a bit of Gaeilge (mostly from books and online, but attended Oideas Gael briefly, no local classes near me, sadly), and my husband is English. I quickly learned NEVER to say I was giving a ride to a friend of my daughter's, nor call him our "rider" (a regular carpooler) when chatting with Irish OR English friends! I vaguely recall hearing the term "linen press", but it went out with "pie safe" back in the 50's. And hotpress is a type of paper in the graphic design industry, LOL. There've been so many Irish in London and Liverpool, that I think you'll never sort all the slang words as to origin. At Oideas Gael, one instructor DID tell me that the "English" word of "smashing" to mean wonderful, was derived from the Gaeilge phrase "Is maith sin", because that's what they thought they heard when Irish applauded a good song in a pub! Ain't language grand?

• mooncoin | Aug 25, 2012, 05:12 PM EDT

  well I guess I am very Irish because none of these words are new to me. And here in Canada they are used all the time. Ecept for the chipper.here they are called a chip wagon

• Towngate | Aug 25, 2012, 04:19 PM EDT

  A Good list , thanks. Runners are specifially 'Plimsolls' - Trainers and Sneakers came later.Hotpress is logical when used to describe a warm closer for airing linen - but to name that unit after a 'cup board' (shelf) where crockery is stored, is odd. Yoke - not the middle of an egg here, but a useful instrument/implement - a 'thing' that does things! - named after a part of draught horses harness.Jumper/cardigan/tank-top etc., is often referred to as a 'Gansey'. an urban Footpath is also known as a Pavement. Ride is a playful term for having sex.But to be known as a 'ride' or 'the village bike'(everyone rides around on her)is not so nice! To be Stuffed really means to be 'thwarted'. ( pronounced without the 'h'.)

• POL O L | Aug 25, 2012, 03:04 PM EDT

  Where`s the "Crack" at?

• Suze19 | Aug 25, 2012, 03:00 PM EDT

  Pilib04, I was born and raised in the arse hole of no where in Ireland and I've used every word on that list. The hot press was the cupboard beside the boiler, a ride was someone you would want to shift (kiss) or do other stuff with! So Dun na bheile ague na bia a caint, excuse the lack of fadas. Don't turn it into an English thing, I'm sure somewhere over the years the slang has got mixed. Craic should be on the list tho, pram is another one and biscuits. I got odd looks for saying I wanted chocolate biscuits.

• ejcphoto | Aug 25, 2012, 02:45 PM EDT

  I love how the Irish don't use "h" in so many ways. like, thought. and The word I expected to see here is "Grand".. Having lived there for three years that word creeped into my vocabulary and to this day I embarrass my children when it squirt out. FFS!

• seamusmac | Aug 25, 2012, 02:21 PM EDT

  I agree with pilib04.

• amkilshane | Aug 25, 2012, 02:13 PM EDT

  I taught the Hotpress was a rock newspaper produced in Dublin. When I came to the US first I taught a lot of my expressions were uniquely Irish but a lot of them are used here just not as frequently. An example would be " he plays his cards close to the chest " they say close to the vest

• CitizenWhy | Aug 25, 2012, 12:33 PM EDT

  I liked it when the Irish would tallk about getting their hands on LSD, to the shock of Americans. Of course LSD meant money, pounds, shillings, pence. Then came the Euro. Perhaps with the way the EuroZone is going we will be back to LSD.

• NoelleP | Aug 25, 2012, 12:14 PM EDT

  MMcCreedy, I'm from the South in USA and y'all is a contraction for you all when speaking even to one person while including other members of their family. For example: "Are y'all (you and your immediate family) going on vacation when school is out for the Summer?" Most Southerners understand this and will respond in the plural (ie.: "we").

• Canadian | Aug 25, 2012, 12:08 PM EDT

  The way I understood it: "Ride" was the Irish slang for intercourse so if a woman was described as a "ride" it meant that she was "loose" and the term was derogatory. Do I revise my understanding or is it still correct? I left Ireland in '72 and "Suss" had not appeared by then. I believe it means to research or understand something "Suss this out"

• Seanmor | Aug 25, 2012, 12:04 PM EDT

  In everyday speech in NYC and elsewhere in the U.S., we hear gramatically incorect expressions such as "I should have went" ]have gone]; "I seen" (past tence) instead of I saw; "Where is it at", insted of Where is it? "dove" instead of "dived". Yet, recent immigrants from Ireland sweldom, if ever, make such glaring blunders in their speech. The tern "ye' is a form of you plural and the equivalent of "you al"' in the South."Yous" is also used to indicate you plural. The term "ye" is also found in the Bible.

• seanreagan | Aug 25, 2012, 11:49 AM EDT

  Actually, 'craic' is simply the English word 'crack' transcribed into Irish. 'The crack' has much the same meaning in parts of England and Scotland. There is a good article in Wikipedia on the subject.

• Mousemess | Aug 25, 2012, 11:28 AM EDT

  craic Irish Gaelic word confused with "crack cocaine" by Americans. Footpath or "cosan" "footpath" from "cos" for foot in Irish Gaelic. To an American a "footpath" is a path to used only by persons on foot. My American dictionary defines it further being the the British term for what Americans call a "sidewalk" to walk beside streets intended only for people on foot. To an American also a footpath might a path a trail through the woods also normally intended for those only on foot. Some of the other terms used in Ireland appear to be to also in use in British English like "boot" meaning "trunk" of a car in American English. "Press" for cupboard in British English. "Cofra" in Irish Gaelic and "preasa" in Scottish Gaelic. "Cupboard" is the term used in the USA. "Jumper" is also used in British English for "sweater". "Sweater" is the term used in the USA. What are called "runners" in Ireland are called "sneakers" in US English.

• colleenbawn | Aug 25, 2012, 11:21 AM EDT

  How about 'lads'..referring to both sexes...'Rubber dollys'(a type of 'runner'). I answer 'grand', when asked how I'm doing. I tell my grandchild to "mind yourself'..much to the amusement of my daughter-in -law

• pilib04 | Aug 25, 2012, 11:19 AM EDT

  These slang words are NOT Irish. They are ENGLISH slang terms. Maybe the Irish use them too, but rest assured they are English: Boot, Chipper, hotpress, yoke, footpath, gumboil, same as in England. Stuffed, is same as in England and Ohio (USA). Ride, In England it is a girl friend who sticks by her boy friend no matter what. Runner, similar in England Don't know who Bernie Malone is, but my guess is she is from the North of England between Durham and Liverpool. Next time you want to write about Irish words, try using Irish(Gaelic).

• mccrawf | Aug 25, 2012, 11:06 AM EDT

  Americans use stuffed!I was always told not to stay stuffed in England as it had a differerent meaning. maybe not in Ireland.

• fiddlinvet | Aug 25, 2012, 11:00 AM EDT

  I get in trouble all the time for using "yer man" as in "I have seen yer man yesterday". People tend to get really upset...lol

• mmccreedy | Aug 25, 2012, 10:52 AM EDT

  I have heard a few of these here in the States, especially stuffed, as in "I am stuffed". Some people will use it thusly: "Get stuffed", but that has other conotations. If you ever go the the Deep South, one thing that you will notice is that ANY soft drink is refered to as a coke (as in Coca-Cola). It might be a Pepsi (God forbid), but it is still refered to as a "coke". Also, if someone is "fixin to" do something, they will be doing something, maybe sonner, maybe later-there is really no fixed time to do it. Finally, there IS a difference between y'all and you all. y'all is the plural of you all; you HAVE to have more than one person present when you use y'all or you risk looking like a ignorant Yankee!!

• Springfield9 | Aug 25, 2012, 10:13 AM EDT

  I think my IQ actually dropped a few points after reading this.

• oTuachair | Aug 25, 2012, 10:06 AM EDT

  And mispelling the word "where" as "wehre" is my own mistake, not a colloquialism... Haha.

• oTuachair | Aug 25, 2012, 10:04 AM EDT

  Oh, we have colloquialisms here in the US that baffle the Irish too. For example, drop an Irishman in Wisconsin and ask him wehre the bubbler is, and he'll look at you like you are from another planet... :)

• TisEyerish | Aug 25, 2012, 10:00 AM EDT

  Loved this article...and it gives me further proof of my Irishness (is there such a word?) because I figured out what "runners" were before I saw the explanation...and knew what most, although not all, of the other words meant, as well. Thank you for a good morning laugh!

• carrickcourt | Aug 25, 2012, 10:00 AM EDT

  Amazing I got 5 of the 10 Irish terms, it helps to have visited Ireland a few times in the past 10 years. I called my third cousin Jimmy in Co. Monaghan this past Wednesday and had a nice chat with Jimmy's wife Margaret. In the course of Margaret giving the family news from there she made reference to the "groomsman"at her daughter Gail's wedding earlier this year. I have to assume the "groomsman" is the best man at an Irish wedding?

• JimmieM | Aug 25, 2012, 09:58 AM EDT

  my biggest puzzle was ...crack...over here a bad drug...

• GregShox | Aug 25, 2012, 09:57 AM EDT

  Gumboil, jumper, boot, footpath and stuffed are all common words in Britain. I've also heard English people saying chipper. As it happens, "boot" derives from the French word boîte, meaning box, and it's therefore the same as trunk. Yet, somehow, in this article, these words have become uniquely Irish. How does that work?

• seamusryan | Aug 25, 2012, 09:02 AM EDT

  Doing a colloquialism list for the benefit of those who are not among the presumed "most" doesn't imply that the author thinks that the "most" are stupid. Or even the not-most. It's probably of some considerable interest to the not-most. The not-most deserve the odd bone as well. It's a good list. Plenty of room for additions but even as someone who's familiar with all of those terms, I suspect that the not-most (or whoever) will find it quite interesting.

• eionmolleedad | Aug 25, 2012, 08:58 AM EDT

  The one the got me is "shove" I heard someone say I have to shove the car up the road, I thought she was pushing her car because it wasnt starting LOL!

• Jacob | Aug 25, 2012, 08:56 AM EDT

  These terms may be strange to Americans, but some of them are well-used in England, including 'gumboil', 'jumper','footpath', 'boot' and 'stuffed'. Others are similar - on this side of the Irish Sea it's 'chippie' instead of 'chipper' and 'trainers' instead of 'runners.' We are all one people really.

• eiregirl | Aug 25, 2012, 08:55 AM EDT

  Yes, I say runners...but immediately say tennis shoes, tennies, sneakers, running shoes as there is no one word for these in this country. Now for the US version, where most things are referred to by Brand name...Kleenex, QTips, Pyrex, Band-Aid, Chapstick and ziploc...I'm sure there's more but can't think at this very minute.

• eiregirl | Aug 25, 2012, 08:45 AM EDT

  While I don't think this implies Americans are stupid in any way, it is true a lot of us had families that maintained a lot of the culture they brought with them. Pockets of very Irish english colloquial usage exist all over. My experience has been in western gulf coast region between Galveston and New Orleans, where even some of the rhythm patterns still exist.

• padraiginrua | Aug 25, 2012, 08:40 AM EDT

  Pity you think us so stupid. Since most of us had Irish parents/grandparents, we're quite familiar with these terms and use some of them ourselves