Irish slang words you need to know for St. Patrick’s Day today. About half of the population will be out celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today and about 80% of those people plan to wear green today. Partiers will be wearing costumes, drinking green beer, eating corn beef and cabbage and talking with the Irish accent today.
There are many Irish terms that you should probably study up on before you head out for the shenanigan’s today.
Even though English is the primary language in Ireland, there are still figures of speech used that can be confusing to Americans, so we thought we would list those for you. This will definitely make your party that much more fun. Try these on your friends to see if they know the terms. Irish slang words you need to know.
Kevin tested J.R. and Launa on a few of these this morning and they got 2 right!
Slang Words We Used Today
“Gaff” – Another word for house. You might hear a teenager say they’ve got a “free gaff,” which means their parents aren’t home and they’re having a party.
“Chipper” – A fast food shop that sells deep-fried foods like fish and chips.
“Manky” – This refers to something dirty, disgusting or rotten and can be used to describe anything from the weather to leftovers found in the back of the fridge.
“Craic” – This roughly translates to having fun or good times, as in “Are you up for a bit of craic tonight?”
“The black stuff” – When someone asks for a pint of the black stuff, they’re served a pint of Guinness stout.
Other Slang Words You Might Need
“Bold” – In the U.S. it usually means courageous, but in Ireland, it means naughty, as in bad behavior.
“Plaster” – A Band-Aid.
“Till” – A cash register.
“Dear” –“A ride” – An attractive person, but it can also refer to doing the deed. Not a term of endearment in Ireland, but something expensive.
“Langered” – A langer is a fool or an idiot and being langered means being incredibly drunk.
“Scarlet” – It means embarrassed, as in the color of your cheeks when you’re embarrassed.
“Savage” – Something awesome, excellent or really great.
“The messages” – If you’re getting the messages, you’re running errands or grocery shopping.
“Donkey’s years” – A long time.
