An American's Guide to (Northern) Irish English

I've been in Belfast for about six months now, and I've experienced a lot of newness along the way. Some of that newness has been fun, other parts not so much. There's been some typical abroad loneliness coupled with the joys of traveling and experiencing a new place. One continuous small pleasure has been to notice the differences in language. Yes, of course, locals speak English here. But as one would expect, they rely on different slang, pronounce words differently, use words that Americans would know but rarely use, etc. I suppose this is a bit of an informal linguistics project, which is funny because I tried to take a linguistics class in grad school, and I lasted one day before dropping it. But below are some of the common words and phrases in Northern Ireland and their appropriate American "translations." I'm sure my list is not exhaustive. They are listed in no particular order:

legend - A generic compliment as in, "What a legend!"

slagging - insulting in a light-hearted way

rubber - This is one of those sexually-connotated confusions for an American. Here, it just means an eraser.

sorted - figured out

scheme - program

for ages - a long time

space button - space bar

biscuits - cookies

keep her lit - A generic encouragement, as in "Keep going!"

sultanas - raisins

postman - mailman

tidied - clean

called - This word is used in place of "named" to describe someone's name, i.e. "He is called Gary."

craic - Another confusion, as this is pronounced the same way as "crack." Very loosely, here it means "fun." But the phrase "What's the craic?" is also a generic greeting, much like "How are you?"

training - As a part of the sports world over here, I hear this one a lot. It means "practice." As in, "Are you coming to training tonight?"

cheeky - mean, antagonistic 

class - great, awesome

grand - good 

burds - ladies

aye - yeah/yes

kits - uniforms

pandering - networking, sucking up, trying to impress

loads - lots

keen - in favor of

sweets - candy

bollocks - Literally, this means testicles, but mainly it is used as a profanity. So after I miss a free throw, I might yell, "Bollocks!" 

shop - This is another funny one because of course we say this one a lot in the States, too. But here it can be used more generically for little stores, restaurants, etc. "Hey, let's go down to the shop to get a Coke."

pint - This word is more about the substance than the measurement. If someone asks you to go for a pint, they want to know if you'll get a beer with them.

rubbish - trash, used either literally or figuratively 

posh - ritzy

suit - Someone might ask, "Does this suit?" It means fit or work.

queue - Another common word here. Means "line."

wanker - A swear word, something you would call someone, that means literally "a jerk-off."

dead on - This phrase means right or good or set. So "I'm dead on" might mean I'm feeling fine or even better than fine. 

mate - friend or buddy, very generically

bins - trash cans

toilets - So in the U.S., toilets are something you find in the bathroom or restroom. A very essential part, of course. But bathroom and restroom are not common terms over, so instead you ask someone where the "toilets" are. 

petrol - gas 

have a Chinese/an Indian - This refers, believe it or not, to a Chinese or Indian meal. Not to be mistaken with a person of those nationalities... 

sporty - athletic 

at the minute - right now

spuds - potatoes

windscreen - windshield

diary - planner/calendar

for fuck's sake! - A favorite here, this phrase is used as a generic profanity. 

jumper - sweater 

mental - crazy

lads - guys

ginger - red-haired

postcode - zipcode

gift voucher (gift card)

have a think about it - think about it, brainstorm

so it/she/he is - This phrase is used to reinforce something someone says about something or another person. 

takin’ a piss - joking, messing with somebody

cinema - movie theater 

grammar school - a selective secondary school

primary school - elementary school

secondary school - middle/high school

college - high school

maths - math

brilliant - Another word used very generically. You can assume it means some version of great.

lie in - sleep in

passing wind - farting

brush the floor - sweep 

cheers - thank you

boot - trunk of a car

on holiday - on vacation

happy Christmas - Merry Christmas

knackered - tired, exhausted

bap - type of bread

elastic bands - rubber bands

yous guys - you guys

mess about - mess around

ball-greedy - a player who hogs the ball in sport

footpath - sidewalk

lift - elevator

trolleys - shopping carts

work away - Someone might tell you this about some food that's left over. "Go ahead and work away at the pizza."

wee - The meaning of this word is the same in the States: little. But it's used so much more over here; it's literally one of their favorite words, the best I can tell. I hear this word a bizillion times a day.


Questions for the reader: What did I miss? Do you have any favorites?