Ireland Slang, Jargon, and New Words from Double-Tongued Dictionary

Associated with or special to the Republic of Ireland or Irish people, places, or things. You can also see entries assigned to this category.

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American wake n. Connolly then recounted the first time he picked up a fiddle; he was about 9 or 10 years old and was at a party for his Uncle Patty who was immigrating to the United States. Such going-away-parties in Ireland were referred to as “American wakes” because those who immigrated to the United States were “considered dead or gone forever,” as Connolly said. [English Ireland] [full cite] (Mar. 22, 2007)

Billy n. “So I said to him, “Fine, but just before you’re going into one of them can you give me the Billy?” That’s Dublin slang for give me the nod. “So he says, ‘Yeah great no problem.’ So the song is coming to an end and Van starts to shouting, ‘Billy! Billy! Billy!’” [English Ireland] [full cite] (Jul. 29, 2005)

butcher’s apron n. The drafting of the treaty sparks a split in the column, which rather predictably plays out as a schism between the brothers, with Teddy accepting its terms while Damien refuses to be a slave to the Union Jack, or “the butcher’s apron,” as he calls it. [English Ireland United Kingdom Politics] [full cite] (Jun. 21, 2006)

dicker n. The vehicle being used by the “dicker,” as they call them, had 12 PIRA traces to it and it wasn’t disputed that the exercise to spy on me was linked to the IRA. [English Ireland] [full cite] (Mar. 27, 2005)

green ceiling n. In Mexico, I painted, I read and then got the idea that I could be a writer.…Back home, I was going to face what I call the “green ceiling.” It was the attitude among the older generation of Irish that you shouldn’t aspire to anything too “artsy.” The question was always, “Who do you think you are?’ when the idea of being an artist came up. [English Ireland New or Nonce] [full cite] (Jun. 11, 2007)

GUBU adj. In the GUBU days of Fianna Fail, however the company was called upon once more and Mr Savage subsequently made contact with Albert Reynolds and Padraig Flynn. [English Ireland United Kingdom Politics Acronym] [full cite] (Nov. 19, 2004)

GUBU adj. It was always unlikely that Haughey, who survived the arms trial, allegations about land deals in north Dublin and the GUBU saga was going to be tripped up at the age of 71. [English Ireland United Kingdom Politics Acronym] [full cite] (Nov. 19, 2004)

GUBU adj. My youth was spent in an English hospital, receiving treatment for scoliosis, which also caused spinal curvature. So we were both, as far as Haughey hard-liners were concerned, twisted. But to suggest this was a voluntary effort on my part was a GUBU notion in keeping with the times. [English Ireland United Kingdom Acronym] [full cite] (Nov. 19, 2004)

GUBU adj. The systemic problems in the Garda management were not confined to its operations in Donegal, Mr McDowell said, reiterating his GUBU-esque description of recent events as: “Frightening, unprecedented, egregious and devastating.” [English Ireland Politics Acronym] [full cite] (Nov. 19, 2004)

GUBU adj. Irish people have a confused, contradictory, even GUBU attitude to property. [English Ireland Acronym] [full cite] (Nov. 19, 2004)

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