Today's the day! So why not celebrate your Irish ancestry by learning a few key Irish words and phrases to unlock the lingo of your forbearers? Take the Irish Central challenge this Saint Patrick's Day and impress your friends and neighbors with some authentic Irish expressions.


Irish Slang To Get You Started:

Acting the Maggot
Acting in a lighthearted, non-serious manner
Would you ever stop acting the maggot and peel those spuds, like?

Aul Wan
Your own, or anyone else's, mother
Is that your aul wan waiting for you at the school gate?

Betty's
Women
Did you ever see so many Betty's in the one place, like? We're laughing.

Beak
Mouth
If he doesn't stop singing Ice Ice Baby soon I'm going to hit him a clatter on the beak.

Bogger
A rural person (offensive)
There must be a new tractor show. The town's overrun with boggers, like.

Chancer
A person who continually pushes their luck
That government minister's a right fecking chancer.

Clatter
To punch
I'll give you such a clatter on the gob you'll need a team of nurses, like.

Cute Hoor
A highly manipulative person
he's some cute hoor that lad, isn't he? Started off in the mail room and now he's running the company.

Dose
An individual of little personal charm
Jaysus, your cousin Michael's an awful dose. Where did you find him?

Eejit
Idiot
You're an awful fecking eject, do you know that?

Feck
Hiberno corruption of the Anglo Saxonism
Feck me, lads. Get to feck. Who's that big fecker?

Jacks
Restroom
Hi, where's the jacks I'm busting?

Mingin'
Offensive, displeasing to the eye or nose
You couldn't eat that there fish, Majella, it's mingin'

Plastered
Intoxicated
Your man over there's plastered, don't let him drive anyone home.

Savage
Awful
Your man got up and sang a wee song then and it was savage altogether.

Scald
Tea
Any chance of a cup of scald there missus?

Sky Pilot
Absurdist catch-all insult
Away to hell you feckin' sky pilot!

Tool
Dolt, foolish person
Your brother Aidan is a complete feckin' tool.