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Things said in Ireland that no one says in England

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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,593 ✭✭✭theteal


    "Your man", as in "look at your man up the road"

    I've been met with the response, "My man? I don't know that fella"


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,487 ✭✭✭Mutant z


    To shift someone which means to snog someone in the UK.


  • Registered Users Posts: 21,412 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    Re going for the messages, I also would love to know the etymology of that one! I read upthread that it was connected with going to the post office for telegraph messages and picking up a few bits in the shop whilst there, or writing a message to the shopkeeper for the illiterate maid to pick up for the Lady of the Manor.

    I was reading a book recently based in Scotland and one of the characters kept mentioning going to the shops for "Comestibles" Now I wonder if the "mes" in that word morphed into messages. The phrase is used in Scotland AFAIK. Although it's a long shot.
    In the Netherlands the phrase for going shopping is "Boodschappen doen". Boodschap is also the Dutch for message, so literally "Doing the messages". So possibly a hangover from Old English which has strong links with Dutch/Low German.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    If I went back through all the posts I would probably find it has already been mentioned, "I was sat"instead of "I was sitting","I was stood" instead of "I was standing".English people showing their brilliant grammar skills with their own language.

    You wouldn't have to go through all of them, just read a dozen posts back and you'd find it :D

    From my experience living in England, it's a Northern English way of speaking, rather than England as a whole.


  • Registered Users Posts: 28,007 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    Yes, it is north of England, its one of the words/phrases that I really have to think about.


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  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Regional East Moderators, Regional North West Moderators Posts: 11,968 Mod ✭✭✭✭miamee


    Yes, I think the usage I'm using is possibly Dublin-centric.
    "Why are you saying such ****e?"
    "I'm only buzzing."
    "Buzzing?"
    As in messing around or being facetious?
    It is meant as messing but can also mean being in a great mood, "everyone was buzzing last night after the match!"

    It's always a positive thing anyway. "I'm only buzzing off ya/with ya" = I'm only messing with you/pulling your leg.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,532 ✭✭✭worded


    miamee wrote: »
    It is meant as messing but can also mean being in a great mood, "everyone was buzzing last night after the match!"

    It's always a positive thing anyway. "I'm only buzzing off ya/with ya" = I'm only messing with you/pulling your leg.

    Snap out of that buzz your on worded

    Your wrecking me buzz worded

    My granny god bless her fell in with the wrong (knitting) circle and wound chastise me as a child with these comments


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Regional East Moderators, Regional North West Moderators Posts: 11,968 Mod ✭✭✭✭miamee


    Two very common usages that I'd forgotten about there, worded :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,378 ✭✭✭Duffy the Vampire Slayer


    My English friend heard me saying 'He rode her' and thought I said 'rolled'. He started using the expression 'roll a girl' and I assumed that was an English expression. It was only later that I realised he was only saying it to me and thought he was using the Irish expression.


  • Registered Users Posts: 19,904 ✭✭✭✭El_Duderino 09


    'Do be' and 'does be', as in 'i do be up at 7 every morning and it does be cold'.

    It's a direct translation of the present tense continual in irish. So that's one thing that's only used in Ireland.


    We were told not to say it but I think it actually counts as proper Hiberno-English.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 557 ✭✭✭Mearings


    'Do be' and 'does be', as in 'i do be up at 7 every morning and it does be cold'.

    It's a direct translation of the present tense continual in irish. So that's one thing that's only used in Ireland.


    We were told not to say it but I think it actually counts as proper Hiberno-English.

    It does be not.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,191 ✭✭✭✭Nekarsulm


    'Do be' and 'does be', as in 'i do be up at 7 every morning and it does be cold'.

    It's a direct translation of the present tense continual in irish. So that's one thing that's only used in Ireland.


    We were told not to say it but I think it actually counts as proper Hiberno-English.

    That used to drive our National School teacher mad.
    " Leave your "do be's" and your "does be's" under the bed" ws her inevitable response.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,878 ✭✭✭frozenfrozen


    "it is cold in the morning" vs "it does be fookin freezing when I'm out in the van while yis fookin layabouts do be still in bed!!"


  • Registered Users Posts: 28,007 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    "I amn't" as against "I'm not". Ir - Eng

    "You aren't" (are-ent) Ir - "you're not" Eng - "you arn't" North of Eng.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,504 ✭✭✭tac foley


    looksee wrote: »
    "I amn't" as against "I'm not". Ir - Eng

    "You aren't" (are-ent) Ir - "you're not" Eng - "you arn't" North of Eng.


    Add to this 'I ain't' - still common in less-well educated Londoners/Estuarians.


    The 'other' grandfatherand his wife in our family group still uses this form of 'I'm not'.


    tac


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Came across an auld fella at home whom I hadn't set eyes on in many a year and he quipped, startled, 'Aha, is it yourself that's in it?' I lit up with that syntax (An tusa atá ann?), responding with a smile, 'Who is this gorgeous man?'

    Of course, what he was doing was giving himself a breather to think which of the family I was, but you can be sure they wouldn't be using that structure over in England ('There were two of them in it'/Bhí beirt acu ann, "weather that's in it" "day that's in it" etc)

    "With a week", "with years" etc rather than "for a week" "for years" etc - still very common among people closer to the Irish - e.g. he's been there for/with a week/Tá sé ann le seachtain or He's been there for/with years/Tá sé ann le blianta, etc.

    In Connacht among the older people you would be "walking out with" (ag siúl amach le...) a cailín when you'd be courting.

    The whole "Not but" structure for "only" - e.g. There were not but 10 people in the pub - ní raibh ach deichniúr sa teach leanna.

    And then all those ways to convey the weight/magnitude of emotion or pain or suffering - There was great sadness on him; bhí dobrón air. I always remember the author Joe O'Connor writing an article about that particular syntax in the Irish and its significance (in The Sunday Tribune column he had about 20 years ago). It was such a lovely piece of writing. So much richness of expression.

    Imeoidh mé uait/I'll go away from you. I shall [sic "I will") depart.


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