Irish English: English Vocabulary List

(Irish) to ruin, destroy, or severely damage something

"The crash completely banjaxed his car."

"The sudden power surge completely banjaxed my computer and I lost all of my unsaved work."

(Irish) a woman or girl, often implying attractiveness

"He saw a beour."

"He called his girlfriend beour using the Irish pronunciation of the French word for beautiful."

(Irish) drunk or intoxicated

"He was blocked."

"He was so blocked after the party that he could barely stand up straight and needed help getting home."

(Irish) talk or ideas considered meaningless or silly

"His speech was pure bolloxology."

"His speech was pure bolloxology meaning nonsense dressed up to sound impressive and academic."

(Irish) used as a term of endearment or to express sympathy

"The poor craytur was lost."

"The kind old woman offered the lost child a warm drink and a comforting word, calling him a sweet craytur."

(Irish) Croke Park, the largest stadium in Ireland, home of Gaelic games

"They went to Croker."

"Croke Park known as Croker was the famous Gaelic sports stadium in Dublin."

(Irish) a shrewd, cunning, or sly person, especially in business or politics

"The politician is a cute hoor."

"He was known as a cute hoor in the business world, always finding loopholes to his advantage."

(Irish) excellent, really good, or impressive

"The meal is dacent."

"That was a dacent meal and I would happily pay that price again for the same quality."

(Irish) an unemployed person who relies on government benefits and avoids work

"He called the unemployed man a dolehead."

"The community leader urged people to avoid labeling individuals as doleheads and instead offer support and opportunities."

(Irish) money, often referring to cash

"He has plenty of dosh."

"He needed some dosh for the weekend so he asked his parents for an advance on his allowance."

(Irish) to steal or take something without permission

"He will feck the prize."

"He decided to feck the expensive watch from the store, hoping he wouldn't get caught by security."

to waste time; idle or dawdle

"Don't flute around."

"Instead of flute around all afternoon, you should focus on finishing your homework before dinner time arrives and your parents get upset."

(Irish) drunk or intoxicated

"He was quite fluted."

"After a night of celebrating, he was completely fluted and couldn't remember how he got home."

(Irish) to waste time or fuss about without achieving anything

"Don't footer, just go."

"Stop footering with your phone and pay attention to what I am saying to you."

(Irish) used to express excitement or approval

"Game ball! That's brilliant!"

"Game ball! That was an incredible play that secured the championship victory for our team."

(Irish) an irritating or obnoxious person

"He is a geebag."

"The way he cut in line without a word made everyone think he was a complete geebag."

(Irish) to put in a lot of effort or energy

"The musician gave it socks during the final song."

"The young athlete gave it socks in the final lap and managed to win the race."

(Irish) a foolish, silly, or pretentious person

"Don't be a gobdaw."

"He acted like a total gobdaw by trying to impress the boss with his made-up achievements."

(Irish) a corrupt, underhanded, or unscrupulous person, especially in politics

"The politician was a gombeen."

"The voters suspected the local politician was a gombeen who lined his pockets with public funds."

(Irish) a thug, lout, or rough, aggressive person

"The gouger demanded money."

"The aggressive gouger threatened the shopkeeper until he handed over all the cash in the till."

(Irish) a mess or a chaotic situation

"What a hames!"

"After the party, the entire house was in a complete hames with spilled drinks and scattered decorations."

(Irish) used sarcastically to mean "I will not"

"I will yeah, right."

"When asked if he would help with the difficult task, he sarcastically replied, "I will yeah," meaning he had no intention of doing it."

(Irish) very tired; exhausted

"I feel knacked."

"After hiking for eight hours straight up the steep mountain, I was completely knacked and could barely walk."

(Irish) extremely drunk

"He was langered."

"He got so langered at the pub that he couldn't remember how he got home last night."

(Irish) very embarrassed or causing embarrassment

"She looked morto."

"She was absolutely morto when she realized she had accidentally sent the embarrassing email to her boss."

(Irish) a side job or extra work outside one's main employment

"He did a nixer for cash."

"The teacher did a nixer tutoring students for cash in the evenings without paying tax."

(Irish) an unknown or unnamed individual

"He asked yer one for directions."

"Did you see yer one at the party he asked referring to a woman whose name he could not remember."

(Irish) very good, excellent, or outstanding

"That is fierce."

"His performance on stage was absolutely fierce, earning him a standing ovation from the audience."

(Irish) a girlfriend

"He has a moth."

"He proudly introduced his new moth to his parents at the family gathering."

(Irish) a sandwich

"I want a sambo."

"He quickly made himself a delicious sambo filled with cheese and ham for lunch."

(Irish) a cool, kind, or helpful person, often male

"He is a legend."

"The old man was a true legend in the village, always ready to help anyone in need."