cultural expressions

CharleyH

Curioser and curiouser
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May 7, 2003
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I know there are many Brits here, but I wonder where the Irish are? I am looking for slang swear words or expressions specific to the Irish. Example. I know the Brits often say 'Bloody, hell' or might say 'you wet your knickers' or perhaps even, 'Sorry, love,' when they bump into someone.

What are common Irish expressions? :)
 
Noddan Irish min in sight? And I hared they've big cock-als.
 
CharleyH said:
I know there are many Brits here, but I wonder where the Irish are? I am looking for slang swear words or expressions specific to the Irish. Example. I know the Brits often say 'Bloody, hell' or might say 'you wet your knickers' or perhaps even, 'Sorry, love,' when they bump into someone.

What are common Irish expressions? :)

"Feck", 'what the feck" or "Fecking hell" is the expression I've become familiar with in recent weeks. I've even heard Sisters saying it. They have a quaint way with 'Film' seperating it into two words Fi Lm, bit difficult to get across in prose though.

"Darlin" features heavily in all female / female dialogue and many sentences start with an apologetic tone ie "Now. You wouldn't be after knowing this, but...".

I can also swear testimony to the old joke about the guy who asks a farmer for directions to Dublin and is told "I wouldn't be starting from here..." We asked a guy to point out a Cork gallery on a street map, he turned the map every way trying to make sense of it, then gave up with the map and said, "Turn left at the end and when you see the fountain turn back on yourself and your be sure to see it."

We found it, it was closed.
 
neonlyte said:
"Feck", 'what the feck" or "Fecking hell" is the expression I've become familiar with in recent weeks. I've even heard Sisters saying it. They have a quaint way with 'Film' seperating it into two words Fi Lm, bit difficult to get across in prose though.

"Darlin" features heavily in all female / female dialogue and many sentences start with an apologetic tone ie "Now. You wouldn't be after knowing this, but...".

I can also swear testimony to the old joke about the guy who asks a farmer for directions to Dublin and is told "I wouldn't be starting from here..." We asked a guy to point out a Cork gallery on a street map, he turned the map every way trying to make sense of it, then gave up with the map and said, "Turn left at the end and when you see the fountain turn back on yourself and your be sure to see it."

We found it, it was closed.
Perfect - thank you. Any others? I always knew the apologetic tone, you get that on the east coast here as well, but only a slight Irish tinge to the dialect. Do the men also say Darlin'? Instead of the British, love?
 
neonlyte said:
"Feck", 'what the feck" or "Fecking hell" is the expression I've become familiar with in recent weeks. I've even heard Sisters saying it. They have a quaint way with 'Film' seperating it into two words Fi Lm, bit difficult to get across in prose though.

"Darlin" features heavily in all female / female dialogue and many sentences start with an apologetic tone ie "Now. You wouldn't be after knowing this, but...".

I can also swear testimony to the old joke about the guy who asks a farmer for directions to Dublin and is told "I wouldn't be starting from here..." We asked a guy to point out a Cork gallery on a street map, he turned the map every way trying to make sense of it, then gave up with the map and said, "Turn left at the end and when you see the fountain turn back on yourself and your be sure to see it."

We found it, it was closed.

[Hijack]

During a holiday in Southern Ireland with a university friend....driving along lovely bendy, narrow, green roads, and one comes across the usual 'SLOW' on a tight bend. And as always, one ignores it.

As one moves around the bend, there on the road is another instruction......

'SLOWER !!!!!!'

I laughed so much I damn near drove off the road.

[/hijack]
 
CharleyH said:
Perfect - thank you. Any others? I always knew the apologetic tone, you get that on the east coast here as well, but only a slight Irish tinge to the dialect. Do the men also say Darlin'? Instead of the British, love?

Not all Brits say 'love'.

I work with a Geordie.

He says 'petal'.

A good friend is from Birmingham......she says 'flower'.

Both irritate the beejeebus (Irish), out of me.

Anything less floral than me, you would have a hard time imagining.

Unless its a very thorny rose. ;)
 
BlackShanglan said:
Try reading Roddy Doyle. He's good for prose depictions.

Unfortunately, I have a small local library, and getting any book would be weeks ... days that I just don't have. Does anything stick out in 'your' mind? Any parlance? Idiom?

Or for things such as excuse me, to a woman - an address to a sexy and sultry girl, but not whore, reference to the penis, perhaps? :)
 
matriarch said:
Not all Brits say 'love'.

I work with a Geordie.

He says 'petal'.

A good friend is from Birmingham......she says 'flower'.

Both irritate the beejeebus (Irish), out of me.

Anything less floral than me, you would have a hard time imagining.

Unless its a very thorny rose. ;)

beejeebus is good. I do not mind the hijak ;) thanks Mat, it is also a good lesson in Brit speak, which I imagine is very 'local'. :kiss:
 
CharleyH said:
I know there are many Brits here, but I wonder where the Irish are? I am looking for slang swear words or expressions specific to the Irish. Example. I know the Brits often say 'Bloody, hell' or might say 'you wet your knickers' or perhaps even, 'Sorry, love,' when they bump into someone.

What are common Irish expressions? :)


I've got a friend from northern Ireland, who uses a kind of tag after every sentence he comes out with:

I've had a lovely day, so I have.
Then she lost her temper, so she did.

Etc.

He also says "did you not" instead of "didn't you", and uses "wee" as an adjective quite frequently. :cattail:
 
scheherazade_79 said:
I've got a friend from northern Ireland, who uses a kind of tag after every sentence he comes out with:

I've had a lovely day, so I have.
Then she lost her temper, so she did.

Etc.

He also says "did you not" instead of "didn't you", and uses "wee" as an adjective quite frequently. :cattail:

Thanks Scheherazade (damn you need a nickname!) :rose:

PS. what an interesting challenge it would be to write at least one character from a dialect not our own. hint :|
 
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