As St. Patty’s, er — Paddy’s — Day approaches, we’ve created this handy guide to Irishisms so you at least can sound Irish while doing decidedly unIrish things, like drinking green beer and pinching people wearing the wrong color.
Away and boil yer heed = “go and boil your head” leave me alone, or, I don’t believe you.
Banjaxed = broken beyond repair. Also can be used to describe somebody close to unconsciousness due to the effects of intoxicants.
Bin lid = dufus
Bog = toilet, or ‘very’ when used as a negative “it’s bog awful”
Chipper/chippie = place that sells fish and chips (not crisps)
Crisps = chips
Deadly = amazing
Dead on = decent person or excellent. Also, can be used sarcastically.
Fanny = not one’s posterior, rather it is one’s lady garden. Also, someone who’s a bit of a bin lid.
Fag = cigarette
Gas = fun
Hack of ye = look at the (negative) condition you’re in
Jacks/Jax = toilet
Muppet = see bin lid
Move house = sell property and relocate self elsewhere. Building remains where it is.
Plaster = Band-Aid
Plastered = drunk
Pram = stroller
Pure = ‘very’ when used in a positive connotation
Raging = angry
Ride = to have sex, or someone who is drop-dead gorgeous
Runners/trainers = sneakers (what y’all using them for, huh? Creeps…)
Saint Paddy’s Day = Saint “Patty’s” Day
Saunter = go for a walk, or a forceful invitation to boil your head: “Away on saunter on [before you get your head kicked-in].”
Savage = brilliant, “It was pure savage.”
Scaldy = awful person
Session = to drink all day long OR get a bunch of likeminded musicians together to play at a pub/event
Slag/slag off = talk trash about
Stone = 14 pounds
Take the piss = be sarcastic or tell a yarn
Till = cash register
Trolley = the thing you push around a supermarket
Wedding vegetables = the collection of dangly things between a man’s legs
What’s the craic? = how are you? What’s going on? Anything exciting? Got gossip?
What’s the story? = what’s up?
Wrecked = tired
Yarn = tall tale
Yoke = thing/object: “see yon yoke?”
