Irish Slang

Risico

Are there any irish slang terms? Things like trek, spa, man, that kinda stuff (I'm trying to keep things PG for now...). I'm not looking for direct translations, like 'Dia Dhuit, fear!" or anything, when i was interrailing a few years ago we just made up our own, like 'ba mhaith liom a fhuinneog a brhiseadh"

(im sure that was spelt atrociously, im trying to get back into things)

mr chips

Lots! Tbh I have no clue what trek means apart from a long and arduous journey or something you do on a pony, in which case it's "fálróid". If you want an equivalent for "hey man", I'd usually say "bhuel a bhodaigh", or "bhuel a mhic".

Risico

ok cool, what are a few other of the big ones?

mr chips

Well whaddya wanna know?

Risico

hmmmm, i guess some of the main ones would be like
mate
legend
getting locked
get the shift
lol
spa
and I'm not sure if boards.ie has a policy on swearing so i'll leave that lost out for now :P

typing out slang really makes me feel like a spa :P

hoorsmelt

Risico wrote: »

hmmmm, i guess some of the main ones would be like
mate
legend
getting locked
get the shift
lol
spa
and I'm not sure if boards.ie has a policy on swearing so i'll leave that lost out for now :P

typing out slang really makes me feel like a spa :P

Well some swears would be 'cac' and 'feisigh do thóin féin' :pac:.

mr chips

Must admit that while I'm a very sweary person, I'm not comfortable trying to translate words like spa, mong etc. But anyway, moving on -

Mate - a chara / a stócaigh / a bhodaigh (latter two only for use with male friends!)

legend - wouldn't be directly translated in the meaning of "your man's a legend", but laoch means hero and is often used in that sense. "Is tú mo laoch" would more or less equate to "you're a legend".

getting locked - Irish words and phrases to do with drink are like Eskimos having terms relating to snow - there's loads to choose from, but a very common one that's probably closest in meaning is "bhí mé stiúgadh ólta" (dying drunk). Ar an drabhlás = on the p*ss. Dearg ar meisce = completely p*ssed. Tinneas póite = hangover.

get the shift - hmm, there are a few phrases I've heard but I can only think of "póg" at the minute. I once heard something like "bhí mo theanga súite amach as mo chloigeann (the tongue was sucked out of my head), but I must admit that sounds more like a description of poor technique than a commonly used phrase ...
"Bualadh craiceann" would more or less translate "riding" (literally "skin-slapping"), and "bualadh feola" is what you might end up doing if you don't make it that far. If you want to actually call someone a w*nker, you say "buailteoir feola". (NB a bra is a cíochbheart - literally, a package of tits!). Magairlí = balls.
As well as being a word to mean party, festival, etc, "feis" means f*ck - as in "feisigh leat" (go f*ck yourself). Interestingly, the word for wedding, bainis, is derived from "bean fheis". Not a lot of people know that ....

LOL - GOA (gáire os ard)

Skerries

would a bhodaigh be the origin for buddy?

uch

Have a gander here

http://www.insults.net/html/swear/irish.html

scholar007

What does scaoil amach an bobalín mean?

Insect Overlord

scholar007 wrote: »

What does scaoil amach an bobalín mean?

http://faxnews.tk/sports/soccer/25015/scaoil-amach-an-bobal-n/

mr chips

Skerries wrote: »

would a bhodaigh be the origin for buddy?

Yup.
bod (pronounced "budd") = ahem, male member
bodach = person who is characterised by having one, i.e. a man

So when addressing someone, "a bhodaigh" is more or less "man" - e.g. Bhuel a bhodaigh, caidé mar atá tú? = Hey man, how are you? Got anglicised over time by Irish emigrants.

NB I think "sreang" can also be used for willy - literally means string/wire. Although I think it's also used in the term for umbilical cord ... yup, sreang imleacáin, literally "navel cord".

Risico

coolafionnguala, these are some really good ones thanks

franc 91

Gael (the moderator) has already posted this on the Forum - A (bilingual) Dictionary of Irish-English Slang by Garry Bannister - published by New Island (2008) - ISBN 978 1848400146