Story Bud? is a fun video by Jenny Keogh that’s doing the rounds. It’s a rapid-fire two-minute clip of Dublin slang and colloquial expressions. They’re not all peculiar to Dublin – some are heard around Ireland or in other countries – but they all have currency in Irish English speech and offer a fine flavour of Dublin’s vernacular.
Certain lines may be hard to decipher, especially for non-Irish people. The accents are quite strong, and some of the expressions are strange if you haven’t heard them before. So I’ve typed them out below, with notes, and numbered them for ease of reference. (The video itself also supplies occasional glosses.)
*
*
1. Come here till I tell ya. [See my post on this Irish use of till.]
2. I was down with yer man. You know yer man.
3. I met her gettin’ off the Daniel Day. [...Lewis = Luas, Dublin’s light rail system.]
4. She’d an awful puss on her. [Puss = pout or frown; discussed briefly in my post on cnáimhseáil.]
5. Nearly had a canary. [Had a fit, metaphorically.]
6. She lost the rag. [She lost her temper.]
7. Ah yer man threw the head. [= lost the head, i.e., lost his temper.]
8. Me nerves were shot.
9. Me head is melted.
10. She’s a miserable article. [This article can be used with affection or derogation.]
11. Sure her nerves are at her. She’s a very soft person.
12. Sure this is it. [I strongly agree.]
13. I wouldn’t mind, she’s a skinny malink.
14. Go (a)way out o’ that. [Expression of surprise. Similar to Shut up, Would you don't be talkin', and Would you stop (see 56–57).]
15. Story bud? [Short for What's the story, buddy? = What's going on? / What's the news?]
16. There’s head-the-ball. [T. P. Dolan defines this as “a crazy, happy-go-lucky sort of person”.]
17. Whose gaff are we meetin’ at?
18. What’s the craic? [=15]
19. Any scandal? [Used generically of gossip or news.]
20. Are ya goin’ for a jar?
21. I’m Lee Marvin out (of) me nogger. [Rhyming slang for starvin' "very hungry", though starving/starved can also mean cold or freezing.]
22. Me belly thinks me throat is cut. [An old phrase. It appears in P. W. Joyce's English As We Speak It In Ireland (1910).]
23. You’re what?
24. I’m starvin’.
25. Is that cooker on?
26. Ravenous I am.
27. D’ya want a package o’ crips? [Playful variation on packet of crisps.]
28. The head on him and the price o’ turnips.
29. He’s an awful bleedin’ chancer. [Crafty person, risk-taker, rogue.]
30. (I’m) tellin’ ya, I wouldn’t be with him, he’d only scourge ya. [He would torment or plague you (sometimes refers to sex).]
31. I’m as sick as the plane to Lourdes.
32. Banjoed. [Not to be confused with banjaxed “broken, ruined”.]
33. I was in tatters. [Very hungover.]
34. Absolutely knackered. [Exhausted.]
35. I nearly broke me snot. [Tripped.]
36. I was only morto. [Mortified. See my post on faddish clippings.]
37. Scarleh for yeh. [Scarlet, i.e., blushing.]
38. Scarlet for yer ma. [I'm embarrassed on behalf of your mother.]
39. Scarlet for me life.
40. Don’t worry – you’ll be grand. [Grand in Ireland usually means fine, all right – nothing to do with size or impressiveness.]
41. Have you got your ecker done? [Ecker = (homework) exercises.]
42. What?
43. You’re thinkin’? Mind you don’t hurt your head. [Said to someone who's slow with an answer and stalls by saying "I'm thinking." Jenny tells me this is normally said by an older person to a younger one.]
44. That’s savage.
45. That’s whopper.
46. That’s deadly.
47. He was only massive. [Good-looking, or attractive to the speaker.]
48. State of her.
49. The cut o’ yer one.
50. The hack o’ him.
51. I’m only messin’ with yeh.
52. Relax the khaks.
53. I will in me eye. [Also: I will in my hole/hoop/arse, etc. It's an emphatic I won't.]
54. What planet is she on?
55. If you don’t stop yer messin’, there’ll be wigs on the green. [An old expression referring to a brawl.]
56. Ah would ya stop. [Don't stop, i.e., keep talking.]
57. Stop the lights. [Expression of surprise or consternation. Catchphrase from a 1970s radio show, I think Quicksilver, an old Irish TV quiz show.]
58. No way.
59. Are you for real? [= Are you serious?]
60. Get the boat.
61. Janey Mac! [Euphemistic form of Jesus!]
62. Face was manky. [Manky = dirty, disgusting.]
63. Mouldy.
64. It’s an awful kip. [Untidy or unsavoury place; less commonly, a brothel.]
65. Says I to her, says she to me.
66. Did you see the thing anywhere, I’m lookin’ for it, I need it for the yoke.
67. The thingummybob.
68. That yoke is banjaxed. [That thing is broken.]
69. You’re what?
70. Keep sketch, will ya? [Keep a lookout.]
71. Peg it, he’s chasin’ ya. [Peg it = Leg it, i.e., run.]
72. Give us a shot o’ that. [Let me have a go/turn.]
73. You’re wreckin’ me buzz. [You're destroying my pleasure/peace of mind.]
74. Ah don’t be so scabby. [Stingy, mean.]
75. Sure he’d take the eye out of yer head and come back for the eyelashes.
76. All you have is your character. [All you have is your reputation, your good name. So be good.]
77. Jaypers! [Another minced oath.]
*
A few lines gave me trouble until Jenny Keogh, the director, helped me out. If I’ve erred with any transcriptions or interpretations, corrections are welcome – as are general comments. Jenny says she’s planning several more videos celebrating Irish slang and phrases. Deadly buzz!
[more posts on Hiberno-English]
Filed under: dialect, Hiberno-English, Ireland, language, phrases, slang, speech Tagged: dialects, Dublin, Dublin slang, Hiberno-English, Ireland, Irish English, Irish slang, Jenny Keogh, language, phrases, slang, speech, video, words
