150 Best Irish Slang Words and Phrases

Ah the Irish, such a way with words. Stumble into your favourite Irish pub and you’re bound to be met with a range of words and phrases that are oddly inviting and yet completely unfamiliar all at once. Irish slang words and Irish phrases have a way of cutting through the crap and nailing a great quote or toast no matter the occasion.

From Craic to Slainte, the iconic phrases remain in use today, still just as relevant as when they were first handed down. But what the feck do they mean and how do you use them? Stall the ball, we’ve got a hape of knowledge to impart.

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Irish Slang Words

Now, it comes time to up your banter game. If you want to rule the roost this St Paddy’s Day, take a gander at this list of Irish slang words and start pulling together your ultimate toast. Just don’t forget to end it with Slainte.

Here is the ultimate Irish slang dictionary.

1. Acting the maggot – Acting in a particularly foolish manner
2. Amadan – Generally refers to a fool or a buffoon
3. Arseways – To make a complete mess of
4. Aye – Yes
5. Banjaxed – Not working or broken
6. Bate – To be completely exhausted and out of energy
7. Baytin – Regional pronunciation for the word beating.
8. Beour – Female
9. Bogger – Rural person, from out in the bogs
10. Bóg – Illegal dancing pill or bomb
11. Bollocks – Testicles
12. Box – A rather uncouth terminology for the female genitalia
13. Brock – Something that is bad
14. Buck – Boy, man, lad
15. Buckled – Under the influence, to be completely inebriated
16. Bullin – To be very angry
17. Bullin – To be randy
18. Bure – Female
19. Cat – An effusive way to say that something is awful or terrible
20. Chancer – A rather dodgy or dubious character
21. Class – A term used for something that is high-quality or good
22. Clatter – A slap or a belt
23. Clem – Something bad
24. Coddin – Joking
25. Cop On – An order to grab hold of yourself and not be so stupid
26. Craic – Fun, banter
27. Deadly – Fantastic
28. Donkey’s years – A long period of time
29. Dose – Something very annoying
30. Fair play – Congratulations
31. Feck – A polite way of saying f*ck. Popularised by the hit series Father Ted.
32. Feek – Gorgeous girl
33. Feen – Male
34. Fierce – Very
35. Flute – A silly or unintelligent person
36. Gaff – House
37. Gammy – Absolutely useless or out of working order
38. Gander – A look
39. Gas – An absolute laugh
40. Gatch – The walk of someone
41. Gawk – Sick
42. Gimp – Fool or idiot.
43. Give it a lash – Give something a go
44. Gobshite – If someone gets on your nerves
45. Gombeen – Fool
46. Gom – Fool
47. Gowl – Annoying stupid person
48. Grand – Fine, ok, alright
49. Hames – To ruin or destroy
50. Hape – Or extremely large amount
51. Haven’t a Baldy Notion – Having absolutely no idea
52. Hi – A ending term that can essentially be added to the end of any sentence
53. Horse – A friend
54. Jackeen – Person from Dublin
55. Jacks – The toilet
56. Jammy – Lucky person
57. Jesus, Mary and Joseph – If you’re going to use the lord’s name in vain, you may as well get the whole family involved
58. Juke – A quick look around
59. Lamp – To hurt someone
60. Langers – To be inebriated or drunk
61. Lash – A long drinking session with mates
62. Lashing – Pouring with rain
63. Leefs – Short for lethal, this means great. Commonly used by those in North-West Ireland.
64. Leg it – Run away from
65. Like – Used at the end of every sentence
66. Lock – Small amount
67. Manky – Very soiled, smelly or dirty
68. Massive – Great, super, a welcomed success
69. Meet – To french kiss someone
70. Melter – A person who is a bit of an idiot
71. Minus craic – Someone who is no fun
72. Mitch – To bunk off
73. Mog – Person of low intelligence
74. Mouldy – To get drunk or something thats disgusting
75. Muppet – Fool
76. Ossified – Drunk
77. Plastered – To be very drunk
78. Puck – To hit with a closed fist
79. Pure – Really/very
80. Puss – Sulky face
81. Quare – Another meaning for very unusual
82. Ride – A good looking person
83. Rotten – Something horrible/ disgusting.
84. Savage – Very can be good or bad
85. Scatter – A group (esp of inanimate objects)
86. Scoops – Alcoholic drink
87. Score – To kiss someone.
88. Scratcher – Bed
89. Scuttered – In a very advanced state of intoxication.
90. Shades – Garda Siochana (this is the National Police Service of the Republic of Irelance – the term comes from the two shades of blue on the uniform)
91. Sham – A friend
92. Shift – French kiss
93. Skank – Woman of ill repute (derogatory)
94. Sketch – Used when keeping a lookout for an authority figure, and one is seen coming
95. Slag – A woman of ill repute (derogatory)
96. Slagging – Make fun of
97. Slainte – A traditional toast, similar to cheers. It means ‘health’
98. Slash – Urinating
99. Snake – Sneaky person
100. Sound – Reliable, dependable, a good sort
101. Spanner – An idiot
102. Stall – French kiss.
103. Stall the ball – Hold on a moment
104. Stocious – To be very drunk. Pronounced: Sto-shess
105. Sup – Hello
106. Sure look – It is what it is
107. Tool – Idiot
108. Up to 90 – Flat out doing something
109. Wan – One
110. Wean – Pronounced ‘Wayne’, this means child
111. Wee – Small
112. Well – How are you? Are you going well?
113. Whist – Keep it down, please be quiet.
114. Wide – To be made aware of
115. Wind your neck in – To pull someone who is arrogant up on their behaviour
116. Wired to the Moon – Absolutely steaming the morning after a big night and three coffee deep
117. Yes – Affirmation that can also mean hello.
118. Yoke – Thing. anything or object or person. A broad descriptive term for anything
119. Yonks –  A long time

Irish Slang Phrases

When it comes time for a toast, there are few cultures that do it better than the Irish:

1. He who keeps his tongue keeps his friends.
2. Men are like bagpipes – no sound comes from them until they are full.
3. A family of Irish birth will argue and fight, but let a shout come from without, and see them all unite.
4. May your coffee be strong and your Monday be short.
5. May the Lord keep you in His hand and never close His fist too tight.
6. In heaven there is no beer; that’s why we drink ours here.
7. Who gossips with you will gossip of you.
8. Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you fight with your neighbour. It makes you shoot at your landlord, and it makes you miss him.
9. May the Good Lord take a liking to you — but not too soon.
10. Bless your little Irish heart and every other Irish part.
11. You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was
12. May you live to be a hundred years, with one extra year to repent.
13. This isn’t a hangover – it’s the Irish flu.
14. You must take the small potato with the big potato.
15. May your troubles be as few and as far apart as my grandmother’s teeth.
16. May the road rise up to meet you.
17. Don’t be breaking your shin on a stool that’s not in your way.
18. You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was
19. May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.
20. May the cat eat you, and may the devil eat the cat.
21. May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.
22. A kind word never broke anyone’s mouth.
23. May the roof above you never fall in and those gathered beneath it never fall out.
24. A little fire that warms is better than a big fire that burns.
25. You’ll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind.
26. Never scald your lips with another man’s porridge.
27. There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.
28. What butter and whiskey won’t cure, there is no cure for
29. Lie down with dogs and you’ll rise with fleas.

What is Irish Slang?

First and foremost, it’s important to get your bearings right – Always remember there is a big difference between English and Irish slang. Where cockney slang is a form of word construction based around the English language that first appeared in the East End of London back in the 19th century, Irish slang has been around much longer. In fact, many of the common Irish sayings and slang words we use today are derived from the Gaelic language, providing a unique insight into the Ireland of yesteryear.

Nowadays, it is common for Irish slang to be a blend of Irish Gaelic and Scots Gaelic that has been translated into English, however, many phrases remain nearly identical to their original structure. But be warned, traditional Irish Gaelic isn’t exactly the easiest language to pick up for native English speakers. Here are some tips for getting it right

• ‘Ch’ is pronounced as in ‘Loch Ness’ not ‘Chalk’
• Gaelic has only eighteen letters in its alphabet, so no J, K, Q, V, W, X, Y or Z.
• A consonant + H denotes a completely different sound to the same consonant without an H following it.