20 mad Belfast slang phrases that only make sense to locals
- New to Northern Ireland’s capital? Here we’ve rounded up 20 common Belfast slang phrases and what they mean.
- Gurn.
- Boggin’
- Sure, this is it.
- Norn Iron.
- Buck eejit.
- Wee.
- Courtin’
What words can Northern Irish people say?
Go to guide for Northern Irish slang words and phrases
- “Wee” – Small.
- “It’s spittin” – It’s starting to rain.
- “Face on ya like a Lurgan spade” – You don’t look too happy.
- “You’s” – More than one person/group of people.
- “Pavement” – Sidewalk.
- “Car park” – Parking lot.
- “Grand” – Good.
- “Not a pick on her” – She’s thin.
What are some common Irish sayings?
Contents hide
- 1.1 “Top o the mornin to ya!”
- 1.2 “And the rest of the day to yourself”.
- 1.3 “To be sure, to be sure”.
- 1.4 “a pint of the black stuff”
- 1.5 “He’s talking a load of Blarney”
Do they say wee in Northern Ireland?
Wee. A word that you can expect to hear in most sentences over here is ‘wee’. The term is a longstanding Irish (and Scottish) way of saying ‘little’. However, in Northern Ireland, it is often used to describe things that aren’t little at all.
Why do Irish say ACH?
Pronounced akh or okh. Usually used to replace “ah!” and “oh!”. Ach is Irish for “but”, and can be used in the same context. Och is Irish and Scottish Gaelic for “alas”, and again can be used in the same context.
How do you say hello in Belfast?
Saying Hello in Ireland. To say “Hello” in Irish Gaelic, you say: Dia dhuit. That phrase is how you say hello to someone in Irish.
Do the Irish say bloody?
Bloody, as an adjective or adverb, is a commonly used expletive attributive in British English, Australian English, Irish English, Indian English and a number of other Commonwealth nations.
What do you call an Irish girl?
Cailín. “Cailín” means “girl” in the Irish language. A lot of Irish people still use this word even when speaking in English. The plural, “Cailíní,” is also commonly used, for example, “I’m meeting up with the cailíní later on.”
What is a famous Irish greeting?
The most Traditional Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
What is an Irish hello?
The most common way of saying hello in Irish is Dia dhuit, pronounced, jee-ah-gwitch. You might also hear it pronounced as jee-ah-gwit or. jee-ah ditch. If you are saying hello in Irish to more than one person then you would use, Dia Daoibh which is pronounced jee-uh dee-uv or jee-uh dee-iv.
What does Feck off mean in Irish?
Irish English
It notably lacks the sexual connotations that “fuck” has, but can otherwise be used to replace “fuck” in any other way—this includes terms such as “fecking”, “fecked”, “feck off”, etc. It is also used as Irish slang meaning “throw” (e.g. “he fecked the remote control across the table at me”.)
What do the Irish call a toilet?
An old Tudor phrase for lavatory, jacks is a term more commonly used in Ireland.
Is Eejit a rude word?
Eejit – a fool
The word eejit is an Irish insult used to describe someone as a fool or an idiot and is often preceded by the word ‘buck’.
What do Irish say after a sneeze?
Ireland. In Ireland after someone sneezes, we say ‘Dia leat‘ [pronounced dee-ah latt] meaning, ‘God be with you’ or ‘Dia linn’ [pronounced dee-ah lynn] meaning ‘God be with us’.
What do Irish call police?
An Garda Síochána
The Republic of Ireland has one national civilian police force, called “An Garda Síochána”, meaning ‘Guardians of the Peace of Ireland’. It has 14,500 staff members and provides both local and national law enforcement services. It is commonly referred to as “Garda”.
What do Irish call babies?
Where does bairn come from? The word bairn comes from the Old English word bearn, a “descendant,” and is related to the verb bear, as in bearing children. A bairn can be either a male or female child.
Is Belfast English or Irish?
Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. The nation is part of the United Kingdom, along with England, Scotland and Wales. The population is approximately 1.895 million (June 2020).
What is cheers in Irish slang?
“Cheers” in Irish is sláinte which is pronounced a bit like “slawn-che”. Sláinte means “health”, and if you’re feeling brave, you can say sláinte is táinte (“slawn-che iss toin-che”), meaning “health and wealth”. “Cheers” is one of the words included in lesson 10 of our course.
How do Irish say good morning?
The simplest: maidin mhaith
“Maidin mhaaaaith!” Maidin mhaith, which is the simplest way to say “good morning” in Irish, is a direct translation of the English phrase.
Why do Irish say your man?
Your man – This is not related to your actual man, or your husband or boyfriend. But rather refers to ‘some guy’, used in a sentence like this: ‘I was at Tesco and your man behind the counter said they were having a sale’.
What do Irish say before they drink?
Sláinte means “health” in Irish and Scottish Gaelic. It is commonly used as a drinking toast in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.