Words Irish people don't use. (Not slang)

dr gonzo · 02-07-2013 11:51PM

From reading all these replies I've noticed that we vere as close to monosylabic as possible. Tap, bin, press, plug etc.

One of my favourite Irish things is other cultures specify upper body wear: cardigan, pullover, sweater, whereas we have jumper. Thats it.

As for a word we dont use... you dont really hear chap very much, at least outside of tongue-in-cheek conversations.

ongarboy · 03-07-2013 12:22AM

dr gonzo wrote: »

One of my favourite Irish things is other cultures specify upper body wear: cardigan, pullover, sweater, whereas we have jumper. Thats it.
.

Would the Irish not say cardigan? I'm sure I always use that word to describe a button up top...maybe just me. My Yank housemate back in Oz thought jumper was the most hilarious word ever to describe what he'd call a sweater.

Mr.Prodston · 03-07-2013 01:43AM

Mariasofia wrote: »

My neighbour has recently started to say "you betcha".
Me : see you tomorrow
her: you betcha (she's Irish)
should i grab something to belt her with????

You betcha :pac:

*runs away fast

SpaceTime · 04-07-2013 12:05PM

ongarboy wrote: »

Would the Irish not say cardigan? I'm sure I always use that word to describe a button up top...maybe just me. My Yank housemate back in Oz thought jumper was the most hilarious word ever to describe what he'd call a sweater.

Sweater's even more hilarious - I mean why would you want to put on a garment that just made you sweat a lot... I prefer jumping.

Jumper comes from the french "Jupe" and it's used in England too for a pullover.

People really need to stop finding everything 'hilarious' just because they lack a broad vocabulary. It's just exposing their ignorance !

ruahead · 04-07-2013 10:02PM

maybe just me, sharpener , I say pencil parer, much to the amusement of my kids ( I teach in the UK).

nicowa · 04-07-2013 10:27PM

ruahead wrote: »

maybe just me, sharpener , I say pencil parer, much to the amusement of my kids ( I teach in the UK).

I've always called it a 'topper'. Is that just me?

SarahBM · 04-07-2013 11:06PM

nicowa wrote: »

I've always called it a 'topper'. Is that just me?

Im from Cork, but I live and work in Dublin now, and I was mocked when I asked for the topper to pare a pencil. Up here it's called a "sharpener" apparently :eek:

we would never have called a rubber an "eraser" either.

Corvo Attano · 04-07-2013 11:09PM

SarahBM wrote: »

Im from Cork,

Say no more.

con___manx1 · 04-07-2013 11:29PM

ruahead wrote: »

maybe just me, sharpener , I say pencil parer, much to the amusement of my kids ( I teach in the UK).

i say pencil parer too

Duffy the Vampire Slayer · 05-07-2013 01:30AM

dr gonzo wrote: »

As for a word we dont use... you dont really hear chap very much, at least outside of tongue-in-cheek conversations.

I've heard people from both Wexford and Louth use it. In Wexford it seems to normally refer to a child, 'When I was a young chap....' etc.

donegal_man · 05-07-2013 02:00AM

ruahead wrote: »

maybe just me, sharpener , I say pencil parer, much to the amusement of my kids ( I teach in the UK).

First day in college in Letterkenny many years ago someone asked for the loan of my "pointer" I had no idea 'til he explained he wanted to "point" his pencil.

MissD93 · 05-07-2013 03:09PM

boy or girl its always lad or lass

RossyG · 05-07-2013 04:05PM

dr gonzo wrote: »

One of my favourite Irish things is other cultures specify upper body wear: cardigan, pullover, sweater, whereas we have jumper. Thats it.

It must've been difficult for Val Doonican to get what he wanted.

VAL: Hello, there. I'm after buy meself a jumper.

ENGLISH SHOP ASSISTANT: Certainly, sir. How about one of these?

VAL: That's grand, so it is, but I'd like one with buttons on the front.

ENGLISH SHOP ASSISTANT: Ah, you mean a cardigan?

VAL: A what???

RossyG · 05-07-2013 04:06PM

MissD93 wrote: »

boy or girl its always lad or lass

Or young feller.

the purple tin · 05-07-2013 04:18PM

Not many Irish people say 'excuse me' to get somenes attention or when they bang into somebody, they will mostly say 'sorry'.

smurgen · 05-07-2013 04:36PM

I Heart Internet wrote: »

Poorly (as in sick...a very english word)

One of the most annoying words ever,thank Jesus Christ we don't use it.

MissD93 · 05-07-2013 04:41PM

RossyG wrote: »

Or young feller.

yeah and if your the youngest of your household instead of saying your name they say *your dad surnames youngest* i work in a bar and it wrecks my head

gugleguy · 05-07-2013 04:46PM

Boulderised. As in -

"i stopped playing Sims 3 because EA boulderised it in updates to such a hi degree" - never heard like that from an irish gamer

"I stopped playing Sims3 because EA dumbed it down in updates to such a hi degree" - how the irish gamer would say it

jprboy · 05-07-2013 04:55PM

gugleguy wrote: »

Boulderised. As in -

"i stopped playing Sims 3 because EA boulderised it in updates to such a hi degree" - never heard like that from an irish gamer

"I stopped playing Sims3 because EA dumbed it down in updates to such a hi degree" - how the irish gamer would say it

I think you mean bowdlerised, unless they were firing large rocks at it :P

languagenerd · 05-07-2013 04:57PM

EDit wrote: »

To many English people, myself included, "giving out" can mean the same as "putting out" so that may have been the reason for the blank faces (especially if you said something like "my mum was giving out to me"). Its a bit like an American telling you their dad "blew them off"...has a completely (and perfectly normal) meaning over there, but not here or in the UK

An English guy who was living in the same building as me & my (fellow Irish) friend in Spain last year also thought "giving out" was the same as "putting out".

"Now, we're not giving out to you or anything, we're just saying that..."
"You're not... what?! I have a girlfriend, for God's sake!"

We eventually explained that it meant the same as "telling off" or "complaining" depending on the context. Thing was, we'd been hanging out with him for a while at that stage and had said it before - turns out he just thought we were particularly dirty-minded.

michael.dublin · 05-07-2013 05:01PM

next round of drinks is on me

bodice ripper · 05-07-2013 05:25PM

Oh I have loads of these, as I got crucified as a kid for using them

Sidewalk
Faucet
Guys (when referring to a group including females)
Schmuck
Putz
Elevator
Porch
Jerk

Wibbs · 05-07-2013 05:46PM

bodice ripper wrote: »

Porch

We'd use porch pretty commonly, I'd have said?

Daveysil15 · 05-07-2013 05:55PM

Delightful

Résumé

Buttocks

bodice ripper · 05-07-2013 06:05PM

Wibbs wrote: »

We'd use porch pretty commonly, I'd have said?

not when I was little. people use guys and jerk a lot more now too....

MurdyWurdy · 05-07-2013 06:17PM

The word nursing to mean breastfeeding a baby. You always hear them use the word nursing on American TV but I've only ever heard people here use the term breastfeeding or maybe even just feeding sometimes.

Ruudi_Mentari · 05-07-2013 06:21PM

the purple tin wrote: »

Not many Irish people say 'excuse me' to get somenes attention or when they bang into somebody, they will mostly say 'sorry'.

There's more humility in sorry; excuse me sounds pretentious and frankly a bit late in the day given you've already bumped into them.

dizzywizlw · 05-07-2013 06:30PM

Barm,Airing Cupboard, God Save the Queen.

Speisekarte · 05-07-2013 06:32PM

Ruudi_Mentari wrote: »

There's more humility in sorry; excuse me sounds pretentious and frankly a bit late in the day given you've already bumped into them.

Excuse me is perfectly appropriate.

When you say excuse me you are requesting that you be excused for what you've done. Couldn't be more appropriate.

RossyG · 05-07-2013 07:14PM

Daveysil15 wrote: »

Delightful

Résumé

Buttocks

Stick an 'and' between the second and third words and that's exactly what David Norris said to me when I gave him my CV.

Words Irish people don't use. (Not slang)

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