Mini-Mini-Mini-Dictionary of Irish Slang

Aye - Yes. Used commonly throughout Ireland, Scotland and northern England.
Chiseler - Dublin dialect for a child.
Cod acting, or acting the cod. Playing at being an eejit (q.v.). Used mainly by the over-30s.
Craic or Crack is fun, a good time, good company, good atmosphere and conversation. If you are
enjoying yourself, it is good craic.[5][6] The word may also be used to refer to events, news, or gossip,
as in the phrases "what's the crack?", "how's the craic?", "any craic?" or "it was good crack". It can
also be used in a negative context: "that was some bad crack there last night."

Culchie - means from the countryside (derogatory). In Dublin, it refers to people from any part of the
country (urban or rural) other than Dublin. It is thought to come from the Irish word for woods
"coillte". As far back as the time of the Pale, Dublin people referred to the rest of Ireland as 'people of
the woods', hence Culchie comes from Coillte(the Irish for wood/forest).
Deadly - Slang for brilliant, for example, ' The concert was deadly'.

Fair play - used more so in Ireland than in other English speaking parts of the world. Fair play to him
meaning Well done to him, or Good for him.

Gammy - bad, broken, crooked, unstable, improbably lucky. Etymology: Shelta g'ami[16] "bad, sick,
crooked"; possibly ultimately from the Irish cam "crooked"
Gas - adjective meaning 'hilarious'. For example, "He's a gas man, isn't he?"
Give out (to someone) - to tell someone off, to scold a person, e.g. "She gave out to him for stealing
the money". Come from the Irish tabhair amach (give out).
Gobshite (offensive) refers to a fool, someone who talks nonsense, or sometimes someone who is
gullible.
Go 'way as in 'go way out of that'. Can mean, in context, a) 'you're saying something new' or b) 'you're
talking rubbish'. Often misunderstood by Americans as dismissive 'go away (from me)'.
Guards refers to the Garda Síochána, the Republic's police force, the Irish equivalent Gardaí being
used more formally, usually in the media. The singular Garda is widely used, the female equivalent,
Bangharda less so. The word "police" generally refers to police in other countries (although "Gardaí"
and "Police" are used interchangeably in Dublin), while older people rarely use the American “cops”.
Gurrier means a young boy up to no good, usually used by the working classes from the Dublin area
(see scanger). Derived from gur cake, a cheap rebaked cake eaten by the poor in Dublin. Someone on
the run from the law was said to be 'out on gur', living off gur cake. Used the same way as the word
'punk' is in American English e.g. 'that guy is a no good, just some dumb punk kid'.
Handy has more meanings in Hiberno-Irish than just "useful": it usually also means "great", "terrific".
It is also used to describe a person's skill at a particular task; "Paul is pretty handy with a golf club"
meaning "Paul is a good golfer". "Taking it handy" can mean "taking it easy", being careful or (when
driving) not speeding
Head-the-ball Dublin. A nutcase. From 'Hae'ball king of the beggars', a famous character in Dublin
c.1760.
Jackeen - A derogatory countryman's name for a Dubliner. It comes from the belief that Dubliners had
turned English, ie. that they saluted the Union Jack. Cf. Irish Seáinín, "shoneen", an Anglicized Irish
person.
Jacks : lavatory. Cf. American English "john".

Jaysus - The same as Jesus just pronounced differently

Legend - Someone who is of high status, or is very cool. "That kid over there is such a legend". Often
shortened to "ledge", pronounced "lej". "He's a ledge, he is".
Messages means groceries or errands. She's gone to the shop to get the messages. I had a few messages
to do in town. This usage is also heard in the North of England and parts of Scotland.
Scoop is used to describe an alcoholic beverage i.e. "Going for a few scoops". It is rarely, if ever, used
in the singular (for example "I left my scoop on the table" is not a phrase that would ever be used). Also
used is the word Jars (giving rise to the expression to be intoxicated jarred). Both terms usually
describe pints.
Sca is a word used when asking someone if they have any news. Would usually be used in the form
"any sca?". Could perhaps have its roots lying in the word scandal, or possibly originating from the
Irish "aon sceal," which has the same meaning.
Scratcher - Bed. Used in Dublin lexicon.
Skanger is a derogatory term for a person with questionable taste. Most commonly used in and around
Dublin. The word scumbag is commonly used elsewhere. The British equivalent is a chav.
Keeping sketch describes keeping a lookout for teachers, gardaí, parents etc. "Sketch!" is shouted if
someone is coming. The term may derive from the Irish sceith meaning, "to inform on".
Sláinte is an Irish word meaning "health". It is the shorter version of the term sláinte mhaith which
means "good health". Either version is used as a toast, similar to "cheers", when drinking.
Sound describes a person who is kind, thoughtful, and generally a good friend to have. Also an
exclamation, equivalent to 'excellent!' "Dead sound".

Story used as a form of greeting. Often used on its own

There are many terms for having consumed a drop too much drink, many are used elsewhere, but the
Irish tendency is to attempt to find the most descriptive adjective yet on each occasion. Some examples:
"loaded", "blocked", "twisted", "full" (common in Ulster), "as full as a Gypsy's tit", "spannered",
"Spangled", "scuttered", "locked", "langered", "mouldy" (pron. mowldy as in "fowl"; used in Galway
esp.), "polluted", "flootered", "plastered", "bolloxed", "banjaxed", "demented", "well out of it",
"wankered", "fucked", "paraplegic" , "ossified", "binned", "rat-arsed”, "gee-eyed", "demented" "flahed
drunk" "langers altogether" "in shit drunk" (common in Cork), "buckled", "steaming"( common in
Donegal), "messy", "rotten", "out of me tree", "off me head altogether", "off my face", "sloppy",
"cabbaged", "wasted", "paralytic", "full as a boot", "full up", "full as the bingo bus" (common in Louth),
"legless", "hammered", "circling over Shannon", "blootered", "squooshed", "banjoed", "mullered",
"bingoed", "mangled", "ruined", "landed", "cant even see my hand in front of my face", "oiled", "jarred"
(not too drunk, "I'm not drunk, I'm just a bit jarred!"), "scorched", "in the horrors" (common in
Waterford), "stoned" (Louth/South Monaghan only), "I'm off my tits", "pissed", "sozzled", "blottoed",
"trolleyed", "sloshed", "wrecked", "rancid", "goosed", "off my trolley", "gimped", "destroyed", "rote",
"rote off" (Phrases in italics are more "colourful")