600+ Fun, Interesting Irish Slang Terms
Irish slang is peppered with sounds and phrases and mythology from the ancient Gaelic language, which has been all but wiped out of existence in Ireland.
Irish slang comes from the rich, feisty, unquenchable spirit of the 6.5 million people who live on that tiny island that the English have been kicking around for centuries.
Irish slang is a rich verbal tradition rooted in the hard and hearty struggles of the Irish people, who are predominantly Celtic in ethnicity. They have fought against the more powerful and oppressive British empire, whose members mostly derive from Anglo-Saxons. Irish slang is peppered with sounds and phrases and mythology from the ancient Gaelic language. Gaelic has been all but wiped out of existence in Ireland. At the moment, it is the primary language of a mere 72,000 people. Nearly everyone else speaks the language of the English conquerors.
The Irish language is the verbal expression of tough and rowdy people. They are known to fight and drink and to never give up, despite the odds against them.
The Irish language might seem difficult to understand when you first hear it. However, often, Irish slang is pretty much a shorter version of familiar words. The more you hear it, the more you will understand. However, in order to help, here is a list of common Irish phrases:
Irish Phrases (A)
3m — used to describe a young male whose only cares are his ma, his mouth, and his mustache
49. Aye — yes
50p lifesaver — condom
99, a — ice-cream cone with a chocolate flake
Acting the maggot — fooling and messing around
Afters — dessert
Agro — fight
Alans or Alan Wickers — knickers; rhyming slang
Alco — used to describe someone who’s always drunk
Amadan — fool
Any use? — any good?
Apache — joyrider
Ape — fool
Ara be whist — shut up
Are you okay? — what will you be ordering?
Arse — backside
Arseways — a complete mess, the wrong way
Arthur Scargill — gargle/drink; rhyming slang
Arthurs — a pint of Guinness
Article — a woman
Artist, government — used to describe a person ‘drawing’ welfare
As rough as a bear’s arse — very rough
As scarce as hen’s teeth — very scarce
As sharp as a beach ball — not very sharp
As small as a mouse’s diddy — very small
As thick as two short planks — used to describe something not very thick
As useful as a cigarette lighter on a motorbike — used to describe something not very useful
As useless as a chocolate teapot — also used to describe something not very useful
Ask me arse — shut up
At it — making love
Aul Man or Fella — father
Aul Wan — mother
Aussie kiss — cunnilingus
Away with ye / away on / Aye right — a way of saying I don’t believe you
Irish Words And Phrases (B)
Babby — use the word to describe a little child
Baby Power — a miniature bottle of Powers Irish Whiskey
Backer — riding shotgun on a bicycle
Bad dose — spate of illness
Bad egg — a troublemaker
Bag of Taytos — a packet of potato chips
Bags — messy job
Bake — face/mouth
Baldy, as in “I haven’t got a baldy” — I don’t know
Ball of shite — shitty
Ball-bag — scrotum, but also used to mean an idiot
Balls — to mess up
Bang on — perfectly correct
Banger — In Ireland, this means old car
Banjaxed — broken
Bap — bread bun
Barm brack — cake eaten at Halloween
Barrelling — rushing around
Bate — exhausted
Baths — public swimming pool
Batter ya — I’ll beat you up
Battle cruiser — the pub
Baz — pubic hair
Bazzer — haircut
Be dog wide — be extra vigilant
Be L.O. — keep lookout
Be wide — be careful
Beamer — embarrassed
Bean flicker — lesbian
Bean-jacks — ladies’ toilet
Bells — the time
Belt — hit, assault
Beor / Beour — attractive woman
Bevvies — alcoholic drinks
Beyant — beyond or over there
Bifter — joint, as in “roll a bifter”
Big front, slope back — Irish phrase for feigning wealth when there’s nothing behind it
Bills — pounds
Bingo wings — flabby underarms on a woman
Bird — girl generally, or girlfriend
Biro — In Ireland, this means ballpoint pen
Biscuit — cookie
Biscuits to a bear — a waste of time
Bitch-bag — male scrotum
Bite the back of my bollox — stop bugging me
Black Mariah — police van
Black Stuff — Guinness
Blackers — blackberries
Blackguard — to give someone a hard time
Blarney — nonsense
Blather — talk
Bleedin’ deadly — brilliant
Blow — hash
Blue shirt type of guy — after a 1930’s quasi-fascist group
Bobble — to walk or to move somewhere
BOBFOC — Body Off Baywatch, Face Off Crimewatch; equivalent of American “butterface”
Bog — country are
Bog ball — a derogatory name for Gaelic football
Bogey — An Irish person hailing from outside Dublin
Bogger — Rural person
Bogs — public toilets
Bold — In Ireland, this means naughty
Bollocks — anyone you think is stupid
Bolloxed — very drunk
Bolloxology — engaging in a waste of time
Bombardier — type of Irish bus
Bonnet — car hood
Boot — car trunk
Boozer — pub
Boreen — narrow lane
Bout ye? — how are you doing?
Bouzzie, Bowsie — juvenile delinquent
Bowler — In Ireland, this means dog/ugly person
Box — vagina
Boxin’ the fox — robbing an orchard
Boyo — a bit of a lad
Brass monkey — cold weather
Brasser — slut or whore
Brickin’ it — extremely nervous
Brilliant — great, best
Brown trout — In Ireland, this means excrement
Buck — Boy, man, lad
Bucket of snots — an ugly person
Bucketing — raining
Buckled — drunk
Bucko — lad, player
Bunk off — to skip school or work
Bure — female
Irish Words (C)
Cacks — idiot
Cake-hole — mouth or anus
Caked — too much makeup
Can of piss — derogatory term
Canary, nearly had a — had a fright
Canted — kicked a football over a wall
Capper — handicapped person
Carry-on — argument, commotion
Cassie — In Ireland, this means backyard
Cat — awful
Cess, bad — Bad luck
Cha — tea
Chancer — dodgy/risky character
Chav — “Council Housing And Violent”
Cheek — disrespect
Cheese on your chin — a chat
Chipper — fish and chip shop
Chiseler — child
Chucker-out — doorman/bouncer
Circling over Shannon — drunk
Claim — pick a fight
Class — good
Clatter — slap
Clean on — good-looking
Clem — bad
Close — humid
Cock manger — urinal
Cod/Codding ya — another way to say kid/kidding
Cog — copy someone else’s work at school
Colcannon — mashed potatoes, cabbage or kale & butter, served at halloween
Confo — confirmation (Catholic sacrament)
Conkers — chestnuts
Coodle — shit
Cooker — stove
Cop on — get your shit together
Cop shop — In Ireland, this means police station
Coppertop/coppernob — Ginger-haired person
Corner boy — youth who hangs around aimlessly on the streets
Covers — bedclothes
Cow Juice — milk
Crack — In Ireland, this means fart
Crack on — continue
Cracker — another way to say wonderful
Craic — fun, party (pronounced “crack”)
Crisps — potato chips
Crock — bad car
Cub — young boy
Culchie — rural hick
Curk — a good time
Cut to the onions/bone — fed up
Cute hoor — selfish person
Cuttie — young girl
Irish Words And Phrases (D)
Dander — In Ireland, this means a leisurely stroll
Danny boy — twenty pounds in money
Deadly — fantastic
Deadner, give a — to knee someone in the side of their thigh
Dear — expensive
Dekko — look at, inspect
Delira and Excira — Delighted and Excited (Dublin slang?
Delph — crockery, cups, saucers etc.
Dense — In Ireland, this means stupid
Dickey Dazzler — the meaning is an overdressed man
Diddies — breasts
Dig — punch or slap
Dirty tooth — the meaning is an unclean person
Divvy — silly
Do a bunk/flit — sneak off to avoid something
Dog’s bollocks / mutt’s nuts / puppy’s privates — the real deal
Doin’ a number — causing distress
Doing (or speaking) 90 to the dozen — going (or speaking) very fast
Doing a line — courting, seeing someone
Doing the rat race — driving through housing estates to avoid the traffic
Donkey’s years — In Ireland, this means a long time
Dose — that’s annoying
Dosser — layabout, useless
Dote — a lovely little thing
Down the swanie — down the drain
Doxie — prostitute who works on the docks
Drain da snake — take a piss
Drink link — In Ireland, this means a bank ATM
Drobes — bits and pieces
Drop the hand — gain access to a female’s nether regions
Dry shite — a dull, boring person
Dry up — shut up!
Dry your arse — shut up and stop acting like a child
Duck’s Arse — wet cigarette butt
Duds — clothes
Dummy/Dummy Tit — pacifier
Irish Slang Words E-F
Earwigging — eavesdropping
Eat the head off — attack verbally
Eatin’ house — In Ireland, this means a restaurant
Eccer — homework (from exercises)
Eejit — idiot
Effin’ and blindin’ — cursing and swearing
Elephants — drunk
Equalizer — a bouncer
Erection section — the meaning is a cigarette
Fair play! — Well done! (Example: You won, fair play to you.)
Fairy lights — Christmas lights
Falling from me, it’s — I’ve got the runs
Fanny — female genitalia
Far wack, the — over on the opposite side
Fart around — fool around
Feck — used instead of the other F word
Fecky the Ninth — the meaning is a complete idiot
Feek — the meaning is a gorgeous girl
Feen — the meaning is a male
Fib — a lie
Fiver — 5-pound note
Fierce — very good, excellent (Example: It was a fierce performance.)
Fla/Flah — have sexual intercourse with someone
Flagon — two-liter bottle, usually cider
Flah’ed out — exhausted
Flahulach — flamboyant, can also mean very generous
Flaming — drunk
Flea rake — In Ireland, this means a comb
Flitters — tattered and torn
Flog — sell
Floozie — slut
Flummoxed — this word means puzzled
Flute — penis
Fluthered — drunk (Example: I was absolutely flutered last night.)
Fly cemetery — currant bun
Flying it — doing well
Flying low, you’re — your zipper is undone
FM — Fuckable Mother or MILF
Foddered — eaten
Foostering — wasting time
Foundered — freezing cold
Frankie — term for unsophisticated person from Belfast
Fry — fried breakfast
Full shilling; he’s not the full shilling — not mentally competent
Funny flour — In Ireland, this means cocaine
Irish Slang Words G-H
Gaa, playing — Gaelic football
Gack — foolish or stupid person
Gaff — In Ireland, this means a house
Gallery — great fun
Galya — baby
Gameball — OK
Gammy — this word means shitty
Gander — a nosey look
Gansey — sweater, jersey,
Gary Glitter — funny
Gas — fun (Example: That party was such a gas.)
Gasún (gossoon) — this word means young boy
Gasur — In Ireland, this means an unusual gait
Gee-eyed — young girl
Gee, Gee-box — general term of abuse
Gersha — make out
Get off with (someone) — to get along with someone
Get on like a house on fire — this word means shit
Gick — ass
Gimp — idiot
Gingernut — redheaded person
Git — In Ireland, this means rotten person
Give out — criticize
Give it a lash – an attempt, or to go out drinking (Example: I thought I would give it a lash.)
Glad eye — a crush
Go away out of that/ Go on outta that — you must be joking
Go-car — baby’s pushchair
Gob — this word means mouth
Gobber — green phlegm
Gobshite — idiot
Gobsmacked — In Ireland, this means very surprised
Gom — Fool
Gooter — penis
Goozer — In Ireland, this means kiss
Gowl — this word means stupid person
Grand — grand means OK
Growler — female genitalia (hairy growler)
Guff — nonsense
Gummin’ — salivating, craving
Gur cake — a dense fruitcake
Gurrier / Guttie — lout, hooligan, or Gypsy
Gutties — trainers, sports shoes
Half a bubble off true — idiot
Hames/Haymes — Complete
Hape — Loads
Happy out — Sorted out
Hard neck — this means cheek
Hardchaw, Hardman — rough person
Hash — to mess up
Haven’t got a baldy — no chance
Having someone on — joking with someone
Having the painters in — on your period
Head — this means friend or pal
Head like a bag of spuds — this phrase refers to an ugly person
Head the ball — this phrase is often used for a foolish person
Header — In Ireland, this means an unstable person
Heavin’ — thronged/packed
Heel — the first or last slice of a loaf of bread
Heifer — an ugly country woman
Hick or Hickey/Hickster — unfashionable
High babies — senior infants’ school
Himbo — male bimbo
Hit and miss — In Ireland, this means piss
Hobnails — the knuckles of the fist
Hockeyed them out of it — trounced someone in sports
Hogan’s goat — kept woman
Hole — arse
Hole in the wall — ATM
Holliers — holidays!
Holy Joe — sanctimonious person
Holy show — disgraceful scene
Hoofed — walked
Hooley — party or celebration
Hop on — fight
Hop, on the — playing hooky
Horrors — drunk
Horse — friend
How’s the form? — this phrase means how are you?
How’s the talent? — Is there anyone good-looking/ interesting here?
How’s she cuttin’? — what’s the news?
How’s the craic? — How are you?
Hump, the — In Ireland, this means sulking
Hunkers, on your — squatting
Irish Slang Words I-J
I am in me wick — you must be joking!
I could ate (eat) the twelve apostles — very hungry
I could ate a reverend mother — extremely
I could eat a baby’s arse through the bars of a cot — I’m hungry
I could eat the lamb o’ Jayjus through the rungs of a chair — I’m very hungry
I will in me brown — I won’t!
I will in me hole — In Ireland, this means I will not
I will in me ring — certainly not
I will yea — I won’t
I’d eat a farmer’s arse through a blackthorn bush! — I’m hungry
I’ve a mouth on me — In Ireland, this means I’m hungry
I’ve a throat on me — I’m thirsty
If I were mad, I would! — I certainly won’t
In tatters — destroyed
Jabs — breasts
Jack in the box — A dead Dublin man
Jacked — tired
Jackeen — A rural person’s name for a Dubliner
Jacks — toilet
Jam on your egg — wishful thinking
Jam rags — sanitary napkins
Jammer — stolen car
Jammin — having your period
Jammy — lucky
Janey Mack! — Gosh, really?
Japers! — Gosh, really?
Jar — a pint
Jaysus — Jesus
Jibber — person afraid to try new things
Jip — sperm
Jo Maxi — taxi
Johnny — condom
Johnny-jump-up — pint of Guinness mixed with Bulmer’s (cider)
Joyce — ten pounds in money
Juicy — cute
Irish Slang Words K-L
Kick in the bollocks, a — crotch kick
Kicked and booted — assaulted
Kimberley’s — local biscuits
Kip — a dump or a dive
Knacker’s yard — an abattoir
Knackered — very tired
Knick-knacking — ringing a doorbell and running away
Knickers — ladies’ underwear
Knobs — breasts
Knocked up — pregnant
Lack — girlfriend/sex slave
Lad(s); One of the lads — one of the gang
Lady muck — stuck-up woman
Lamp — to hurt someone
Langer — penis
Langers — drunk (Example: I’m so hungover. I was langers last night.)
Large lad — penis
Lashing — raining hard
Laudy daw — snob
Layin’ boots — kicking someone when they’re down
Leg it — run away quickly
Letting on — pretending
Life of Reilly — carefree
Lift — elevator
Like a blind cobbler’s thumb — ugly
Like a blue-arsed fly — hectically busy
Little green man — a small bottle of Jameson’s
Lively — leave quickly, vamoose
Loaf — to head butt someone
Local, the — the nearest pub
Lock — small amount
Lock-hard — unsolicited advice
Locked — very drunk (Example: He was locked last night.)
Locked out of his tree like a monkey who forgot his keys — extremely intoxicated
Longers — long trousers
Loopers — nuts
Lose the head — to lose control and start a fight
Low babies — junior infants’ school
Lurching — slow dancing up close
Lush — alcoholic
Irish Words M-N
Mad as a box of frogs — crazy
Malarky — tomfoolery
Mangled — drunk
Manky — filthy dirty
Mary Hick, Mary Banger — unfashionable female
Massive — brilliant, deadly
Master — the best
Me arse and Katty Barry! — Yeah, sure!
Me ould segotia, me ould sweat, me ould flower — best friend
Mebbs — genitals
Meet — To French-kiss someone
Melted — very tired
Melter — a pain in the ass
Mentaller — crazy guy
Messages — groceries
Midden — slob
Millie up! — a fight going to start
Milling — fighting
Mingin’ — dirty
Mink — traveller
Minus craic — incredibly boring party
Missed by a gee hair — just missed; can be used to describe a near accident or a missed shot in soccer etc.
Mitch — Irish slang for bunk school, playing truant
Mog — Irish slang for person of low intelligence
Molly — Irish slang for effeminate
Mollycoddle — Irish slang for overprotect
Moran — Irish slang for moron
Mortaller — Irish slang for mortal sin
Mot — Irish slang for girlfriend
Motherless — Irish slang for drunk
Mouldy — Irish slang for lousy/rotten
Mountainy — big, rough rural woman
Muck — Irish slang for soil
Muppet — Irish slang for fool, idiot
Murder — tough going/difficult
Muzzy — a little brat
Narky — cranky
Nat-king — welfare, dole; comes from Nat King Cole (rhyming slang)
Nawful — terrible
Ninety to the dozen, going — going very fast
Nip — nude
Nits — head lice
Nixer — job paid under the table
Noodle — head
Not the full shillin’ — stupid
Numbs — drunk
Nunny bunny — five pounds in money
Nuts — mad
Irish Words O-P
Odds — loose change
Off licence — liquor store
Off me face — really high or drunk
Off the drink — on the wagon
Off your nut — crazy
Oinseach — idiot
Olagonin’ — moaning
Old lady — mother
Old man — father
On the doss — goofing off
On the lash — to go out drinking
On the ockie — skipping school or work
On the pig’s back — in a celebratory mood
On the piss — pub crawling
On the tear — going drinking
One and One — fish and chips
Ossified — drunk
Oul Dear / Oul Wan — mom
Oul Fella — dad
Oxters — armpits
Package of crips — a packet of potato crisps
Pain in the hole — Pain in the ass
Paralytic — very drunk
Patio people — smokers who have been forced outdoors
Pave — to rob something
Pedal and crank — wank
Peeler — policeman
Pelt — skin
Perishing — very cold
Petrified — drunk
Pew — common Irish word for a goofball
Piece of piss — easy
Pile o’ shite — terrible
Piped telly — cable television
Pishmires — ants
Piss in the beds — Irish slang for dandelions
Piss up — Irish slang for getting drunk
Pisshead — Irish slang for alcoholic
Plankin’ it — Irish slang for very nervous
Plonker — Irish slang for idiot
Plugged — Irish slang for pregnant
Póg mo thóin — kiss my arse
Pogue — kiss
Polluted — drunk
Ponce — a highly effeminate male
Poof — homosexual
Poormouthing — pretending to have no money
Poppies — potatoes
Poteen — illegal spirits
Praities — potatoes
Pram — go-car, baby’s pushchair
Pruning — squeezing testicles hard
Puck — punch
Pull, having — being attractive
Pull your socks up — get to work
Pullin’ me wire — masturbating
Pulling me plum — doing absolutely nothing
Pure — Really/very
Puss — face, usually sulky
Put a gap in the bush — close the door
Put a Santa hat on it and call it Randal — crazy
Put the heart crossways in someone — you’ll give me a heart attack
Putting it on the long finger — procrastinating
Irish Words Q-R
Quare hawk — odd fella
Qweer bit of skirt / talent — a really attractive woman / man
Rabbit on — talk a lot
Racked — tired
Rag order — disorganized
Rake — common Irish word for a great amount
Rale Bulgarian — an uncivilized character
Rashers — pieces of bacon; also female genitalia
Rawny — thin, delicate male
Reddener — blush
Redser — somebody with red or ginger hair
Reef — beat (a person) up
Ri-ra — fun and excitement
Ride — A good-looking person
Riverdance — committing suicide in the Shannon River
Rock ‘n’ roll — having sex
Ronnie — mustache
Rosie Lee — tea
Rossie — brat
Row — fight (rhymes with cow)
Rub-a-dub-dub — the pub
Rubber — drunk
Rubber Dollies — running shoes
Rubber Johnny — condom
Rumbly — suspicious
Common Irish Words And Phrases S-T
Sambos — sandwiches
Sap — wimp
Savage — very severe or excellent
Scaldy — scabby, stingy
Scallion — spring onion
Scanger — stupid female
Scarlet — blushing
Scon — amorous
Scoops — alcoholic drink
Scran — means food in the Irish language
Scratcher — bed
Scrawbed — scratched by fingernails
Scrubber — slut
Scundered/scunderated — embarrassed
Scuttered — drunk
Scutters/Squitters — diarrhea
Sell ya the eye out of your head — a con man who will sell anything
Session — day drinking
Shades — police
Shaper — young male who struts
Shattered — exhausted
Shift — French kiss
Shlossed — very drunk
Shower of savages — a rowdy crowd
Shrapnel — loose change
Skawly — means horrible in the Irish language
Skin — friend
Skins — the papers used to roll a joint or a cigarette
Skiver — lazy person
Slag — slut
Slapper — slut
Sleeveen — sly, calculating person
Slinjing — dragging your heels
Snapper — child
Snaps — photographs
Snared rapid — caught doing something one shouldn’t have been doing
Sneachta — cocaine (snow)
Snobby Weather!! — “are you choosing to ignore me?”
Snog — kiss
Snug — pub booth
Soft auld day, it’s a — a soft rain is falling
Soother — pacifier
Sound — cool, solid (Example: My new partner is sound.)
Spanner — idiot
Specky Four-Eyes — someone who wears glasses
Speedy — police motorbike
Sprog — kid
Squizz — a look-see
Stabber — the last 1/4 of a cigarette
Stalk — penis
Stinky/Stinkies — shit
Stocious — drunk as a lord
Stook — fool
Stop the lights! — jayzuz, really?!
Strand — beach
Strides — trousers
Stroked — to be proved wrong
Suckin’ diesel — having a good time
Tackies — runners/trainers
Taig — Catholic
Take the piss — mock
Tan — an English person
Tenner — 10-pound note
That’s Arthur Guinness talking — talking while drunk
There’ll be wigs on the green — There will be hell to pay
Thick — stupid
Throw shapes — show off
Thunder & Lightning — knocking at a door and running away
Tiddler — small fish or child
Tinker — low-class female
Tip — dirty, messy place
To come down in the last shower — to be naïve
Togs — swimming trunks
Topper — a great young lad
Tosser — wanker
Touched — a strange person
Touchin’ cloth — dying to take a crap
Turf Accountant — bookie
Twisted — very drunk
Twistin’ hay — starting mild trouble
Two-bulb — squad car
Tyre biter — ugly female
Common Words Irish People Use U-Z
Undy-grundy — wedgie
Up the pole — pregnant
Up to ninety — ready to explode
Vitamin G — pint of Guinness
Wagon — ugly female
Wall-falling — exhausted
Walrus — fifty pounds in money
Warped — very drunk
Wee Folk — Leprechauns
Whiff or Whack — a smell
Whist — keep quiet
Why don’ cha? — you’d better not
Wick — crap
Wide — understand
Wire — penis
Wise Up, Kop On — use your head
Wojus — poor or bad
Wrapped more times than a bad Christmas present — damaged or broken
Wrecked — tired (Example: We were out last night until one o’clock. I’m wrecked now.)
Y-Fronts — men’s briefs
Ye’d think I didn’t have a mouth on me — someone who feels overlooked when food is offered
Yer —You are (Example: Yer man was caught stealing.)
Yockers — balls
Yonks — a long time
You couldn’t hit a cow’s arse with a banjo — uncoordinated person
Youngwan — generic term for a youth (female)
Your head’s a marley — you don’t know what you’re talking about (marley = marble)
Your hole — having sex
Yoyo — euro
Zonk — one-pound coin