Curses you don't hear anymore

Happyman42

Qualitymark wrote: »

Scrant is food,

That explains it perfectly, food and it's quality would have been a huge issue for those generations. Many thanks for that, I shall ..ahem..'dine out' on that as i don't think anybody in the family knew that.

iverjohnston

Makes perfect sense. My dad told of going off to dig drains in the morning, with the pick and shovel, and of filling his pockets with apples because there would be nothing to eat until he got back to the yard after 6.

deise08

Eh I don't think malojen was in reference to the musical instrument. If memory serves me correctly it was in relation to a local ship didn't have much luck. or didn't have any luck. think it prob went down on its first sailing. maybe some one might be able to remember the story better? any Waterfordians?

Qualitymark

deise08 wrote: »

Eh I don't think malojen was in reference to the musical instrument. If memory serves me correctly it was in relation to a local ship didn't have much luck. or didn't have any luck. think it prob went down on its first sailing. maybe some one might be able to remember the story better? any Waterfordians?

I've heard it used in a general loose way to describe a certain unfortunateness.

Here's a nice article full of foul language from England:

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n18/colin-burrow/frogs-knickers

Lovely Bloke

Skinny malink malojan, umberella feet

Lovely Bloke

Goolies for balls.

I kicked him in the goolies

Paddy Fields

A long time back I was sitting on the sofa in my then girlfriend's house between her mother and her aunt and her aunt piped up... "You know what Maura, you never really hear the word gee anymore. It is fanny this and fanny that... In our day it was just a gee!" I didn't know where to look and couldn't get out quick enough. :eek:

Cedrus

Gosoon, a boy, generally gawky pimply and thick

Skin or shkin, A construction labourer, a body without a brain (at least as far as the tradesman employing him is concerned)

Pulsating Star

Paddy Fields wrote: »

A long time back I was sitting on the sofa in my then girlfriend's house between her mother and her aunt and her aunt piped up... "You know what Maura, you never really hear the word gee anymore. It is fanny this and fanny that... In our day it was just a gee!" I didn't know where to look and couldn't get out quick enough. :eek:

Reminds me of a Father Ted sceane where Mrs Doyle kicks off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogrfAgbIfFo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Qualitymark

You really don't get better curses than the Tudor-era folks: "Sir, thou hast always been a proud, presumptuous, disdainful and very unthrift waster," as Harry Percy's father said to him.
I'm sure the abuse was equally good in Ireland, but unfortunately with the fading of knowledge of Irish, we can't look it up and enjoy it.

Pulsating Star

Qualitymark wrote: »

I'm sure the abuse was equally good in Ireland, but unfortunately with the fading of knowledge of Irish, we can't look it up and enjoy it.

A gaelgoir was telling me lately of what someone he worked for in his youth used to say eg. " may you be seven times worse a year from now" ( in Irish ) He was talking about the evilness of many of the sayings from the past.

enfield

Skang, meaning grime, filth.
Ball Hop, a leg pull, a rumour without foundation.

byhookorbycrook

There's a wonderful book in Irish called "500 Mallacht" by Breandán 'ac Gearailt (500 Curses)
Some of my favourites would translate as follows: Haven eaten it, may you never be able to pass it"(Má ithis, nár chacair) "may the devil use your backbone as a ladder when he is picking apples in hell's orchard.

I would be familiar with "t'anam (d)on diabhal" - your soul to the devil," drochchríoch" ort -a bad end to you. "Nár eírí sé dhuit " to a man- may it not rise for you.
He's an awful bastún, lúdramán,amadán. "Gríos gan iongainí ort" -may you have a rash and no nails to scratch it.

blackbird98

ha ha, love this thread, brings back memories....

BrensBenz wrote: »

My grannie used to call me a gnat, pronounced g'nat. No time for silent letters in the Liberties.

my mother pronounced it with a "c", something like a ceannat, which I assumed was an irish word.

deise08 wrote: »

Stuchain. Pronounced stookawn. Was a fool.

I remember this as "stook" (I believe that "stouk" came from the old Yola language, meaning an idiot or fool)

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Skinny malink malojan, umberella feet

went to the pictures and fell through the seat!!!


Also,
"the curse of the seven snotty orphans on ya"
and
"well the devil fcuk it ars*ways" when things went wrong.
or
"I'll give you a fung in the hole" (kick in the ass, fung being the old leather laces)

My father used often say "he doesn't know enough to know how little he knows"
"you're as thick as pigsh1t in a bottle"
or if somebody didn't have any money, "he wouldn't have what would rattle on a tombstone"

blackbird98

another my father used say if somebody was annoying him, talking crap
"lord, lamb, and honour of jaysus, would you listen to that sh1te"