words?

madmaggie

Just reading through this thread has me in stiches. So much stuff from my childhood. All the dogs round here have surnames still! For lovers of this sort of stuff try the Old Man Country Phrases page on Facebook. It is a howl.:D

Esel

From me holliers down the country as a youngfella:

"Have ye me knife?" = Do you know what I mean? This phrase was first used in the locality about 1920 by a 'woman of the roads' called Dublin Jane. It has survived.

"He put the piss across in me" = He scared the crap out of me.

globalwarrior

OMG - I had no idea how many old words existed back then, this thread is pure gold!!

Who remembers (pls excuse spelling) ownchuck?

As in you ownchuck ya!

or ....

he was'nt going buying a pig in a bag LOL!!!

3qsmavrod5twfe

My Grandad was very fond of of using the term "blackguard" and or "scoundrel"!

There was many times as a "gassun" that I was sent "abroad to the shops" on the bike to get "the messages". Don't know if being called a gassun was a country thing or not.

Also, sex was refered to as "the other"

Das Kitty

globalwarrior wrote: »

OMG - I had no idea how many old words existed back then, this thread is pure gold!!

Who remembers (pls excuse spelling) ownchuck?

As in you ownchuck ya!

or ....

he was'nt going buying a pig in a bag LOL!!!

It's probably óinseach which is the female version of an amadán.

'twas a pig in a poke around these parts but in irish it's Muc i Mála (pig in a bag).

If someone served up a small looking chicken for the dinner it would be described as a pulloch. Probably came from "pullet".

globalwarrior

Thanks Das Kitty this is brillant!!!

So that was actually irish and not a made up word - WOW!!

amadán OMG !!!

I Just LOVE amadán!!!

Also, everyone was a 'gas-man', family friends visiting from
the UK would always question that

Jellybaby1

When my brother went to live in the UK in the 80's he was amazed that his new English neighbours and friends didn't know what he meant when he said 'and yer man said to yer man'. Can't think why!

mariaalice

What about the phrase ' they come from a very respectable family '

That is one that is often impenetrable to outsiders, because it was difficult to define exactly what a respectable family was, for my mother it was often to to with not drinking alcohol!!...it would go something like this ...he worked digging the roads and they had 15 children BUT he never drank and he was always very good to his wife, he came for a very respectable family.:D

mariaalice

Others one that made me laugh form my mother were ..each to his own the man said as he kissed the cow or as god made them he matched that ( that would be in response to seeing a very odd couple such as a woman who was a lot taller than her husband )

confusticated

Izabella High Manic wrote: »

My Grandad was very fond of of using the term "blackguard" and or "scoundrel"!

There was many times as a "gassun" that I was sent "abroad to the shops" on the bike to get "the messages". Don't know if being called a gassun was a country thing or not.

Also, sex was refered to as "the other"

Gassun - probably from garsún, an old Irish word for boy.

We use loads of these at home, I'd never have put half of them in this list because I wasn't aware they were oldfashioned now...:(

My granny always calls homework "lessons" and runners "dollies" - from rubber dollies I assume. Never heard anyone else using either of those terms.

jesijoe

love this thread

Jellybaby1

Anyone use the phrase "hail fellow, well met!"? I think it means 'he's a very sociable fellow, liked by one and all'.

Or, 'this won't buy baby a new bonnet' and 'this won't get the baby bath-ed' = meaning 'this won't get the work done' (usually said towards the end of a cuppa tea, or having a lie-in and time's getting on.

Esel

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Anyone use the phrase "hail fellow, well met!"?

Eh... Shakespeare?

Jellybaby1

Esel wrote: »

Eh... Shakespeare?

I wouldn't have known that myself! My mother used it regularly - if she'd only known!!

slowburner

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Anyone use the phrase "hail fellow, well met!"? I think it means 'he's a very sociable fellow, liked by one and all'.

Or, 'this won't buy baby a new bonnet' and 'this won't get the baby bath-ed' = meaning 'this won't get the work done' (usually said towards the end of a cuppa tea, or having a lie-in and time's getting on.

To describe someone as "hail fellow, well met" means he's overbearingly nice - the sort of person who would make you a cup of tea in your own house, two minutes after coming in the door for the first time. That's how I would use the phrase: e.g. 'He was a bit hail fellow, well met'.

A great phrase to Spoonerise - 'fail mellow, hell wet'

Alice1

Oh I just looove that spoonerism!

We used to refer to homework as "lessons" always. (Think it might be a West of Ireland one) We also put delft in the dresser.

Jellybaby1

We just said 'delph' - haven't heard of delft!

globalwarrior

I realllllly love this thread

Jellybaby1

Just remembered, homework was 'ekker' (exercise)

Esel

slowburner wrote: »

To describe someone as "hail fellow, well met" means he's overbearingly nice - the sort of person who would make you a cup of tea in your own house, two minutes after coming in the door for the first time. That's how I would use the phrase: e.g. 'He was a bit hail fellow, well met'

That's one meaning...

Esel

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Just remembered, homework was 'ekker' (exercise)

Give us a cog of your ecker quick!

globalwarrior

and my number one favourite is ....

I apologise for the spelling and ask if anyone out there knows the correct spelling ....please correct!!

(I really admire you guys who can spell and speak irish, my mother was fluent, but im a lost cause!)


the word is PLOWMAUS!!!


I often wonder if it's another irish word of just an old saying pulled from 'nowhere'?


Also, I have tried 'invain' many times,to explain this to english speaking people

who simply cannot get their head around the fact that it is not exactly a bad thing..........LOL!!!


So any background / history would be welcomed!

Esel

globalwarrior wrote: »

the word is PLOWMAUS!!!

The word in Gaelic is plámás (pronounced PLAW-MAWCE), basically meaning flattery. When used in the english language, it usually implies a degree of insincerity, or that the person 'giving' it is only saying what he thinks the listener wants to hear.

e.g.

"He was only plámásing you!" or

"That's all plámás!"


From Dinneen's dictionary:

plámás, -áis, m., flattering, soothing speech; blámás (U.).

slowburner

Esel wrote: »

Give us a cog of your ecker quick!

Sketch!

Jellybaby1

Esel wrote: »

Give us a cog of your ecker quick!

Or, 'Giz a goo o'yer ekker' = (Let me see your homework so that I can copy it and therefore get away with doing nothing?):D

Remember 'scuttin' = (running after the back of a truck to get a ride - dangerous game!)

Or 'I'm only coddin' ya' = 'I am merely joking'

The more I remember my childhood sayings, the more I think I'm really bilingual!

Esel

slowburner wrote: »

Sketch!

We used LOB (look out, boys!).

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Remember 'scuttin' = (running after the back of a truck to get a ride - dangerous game!)

I remember scutting well , as well as holding on to the back of a truck with your right hand while getting a tow on your bike. No, that was dangerous! :eek:

Anyone remember 'the skinman'? He used call to houses once a week to collect all the potato peels and other food waste for use as pig feed. The pigs were kept in Ballybough - there was a small stables down the same cul-de-sac as the pig-yard.

Playing marbles - scrunchies (big marbles) and steelers (same size as scrunchies - from ball bearings).

Making a gig with ball bearings for wheels, and very basic brakes (piece of 2x1 timber nailed to the side and levered against the ground) - or no brakes if you were mad.

slowburner

Esel wrote: »

We used LOB (look out, boys!).


I remember scutting well , as well as holding on to the back of a truck with your right hand while getting a tow on your bike. No, that was dangerous! :eek:

Anyone remember 'the skinman'? He used call to houses once a week to collect all the potato peels and other food waste for use as pig feed. The pigs were kept in Ballybough - there was a small stables down the same cul-de-sac as the pig-yard.

Playing marbles - scrunchies (big marbles) and steelers (same size as scrunchies - from ball bearings).

Making a gig with ball bearings for wheels, and very basic brakes (piece of 2x1 timber nailed to the side and levered against the ground) - or no brakes if you were mad.

Steelers, now there's a forgotten memory.

Bearhunter

The "respectable family" one reminded me of a phrase used around our way to describe a gay man: "Ah he's very good to his mother." Presumably because he hasn't marreid and lives at home looking after his mammy.

"Hail fellow well met" was used around our way to describe someone who would be up for a drink/yarn/card game with pretty much anyone, reminiscent of another old favourite: "He was like Larry McHale's dog - he'd walk a step of the road with anyone."

"Oh he's a quare harp" was a phrase used for someone who had their own way of doing/saying things.

gerrybbadd

We used to hear lots of strange ones when we were young, such as:

> you have to be jestin' me! ( you have to be kidding )

> I've a reel in me head! ( flustered with activity, usually us running round as kids, annoying grown ups )

And my favourite, which I'm trying to revive into every day language "Thatnn" For example - Thatnn if ya don't get down a dat wall, I'll burst ya!!!

Cork Lass

My mother used to say "it'll warm the cockles of your heart" when we were having a stew. Happy days:)