Because Irish can be so much cooler than ‘tabhair dom an cáca milis’.
1. Amadán (Idiot)
Pronounced like ‘ama-dawn’.
Starting off with a classic. The fada on that last ‘A’ really lets you draw out the final syllable so you can more clearly communicate that the person you’re talking about is a complete fool.
Faic (zero/zilch)
Pronounced like ‘fwack’.
This is a pretty handy way of saying ‘fuck all’ without giving your mother a reason to reach for the wooden spoon.
Smugairle róin (jellyfish)
Pronounced like ‘smugger-la royn’.
Smugairle róin can be literally translated as ‘seal snot’, which does far more justice to how disgusting jellyfish are than the word ‘jellyfish’ actually does.
Glic (sly)
Pronounced like ‘glick’.
Sly is pretty good to begin with, but glic rhymes with quick and trick and slick, so it’s a great fit for describing someone who’s a bit of a shnake.
A stóir (my darling)
Pronounced like ‘a store’.
This is one for everyone on a J1 who has already exhausted all of their Leaving Cert Irish chatting up the locals.
Literally meaning ‘my treasure’, dropping this one at a bar should mask your pasty complexion and aversion to heat.
See also: mo chuisle (my beloved).
Bricíní gréine (freckles)
Pronounced like ‘brick-ee-nee grain-ya’.
It’s hard to come across as manly when somebody points out your lovely little freckles, so maybe it’s worth referring to them as ‘sun spots’ instead.
That’s really only one step short of ‘Apollo scars’.
Gloine fuar bainne (cold glass of milk)
Pronounced like ‘glin-ya foor ban-ya’.
The verbal equivalent of those ads that do nothing but play the noise of Coke cans opening on a loop for thirty seconds.
Got bainne, anyone?
And lastly…
The word 'bruithleachán' has no direct English equivalent- it means someone who sweats profusely. You may have seen a few of them today.
— The Irish For (@theirishfor) June 30, 2015
Thanks to @theirishfor for the inspiration.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
