Irish English

Irish-English terms



  Irish rhyming slang


Barry White

Shite

Scatalogical and probably racist.

Boat-race

Face

"Lovely body. Pity about the boat-race."

Brenda Fricker

Anus

(Rhymes with Gicker.) Brenda Fricker is a Dubliner and a movie actor.

Cobbler's

Balls (rubbish, nonsense)

From "cobbler's awls." Origin obscure. From Cockney. Normally used in the phrase "a load of cobblers."

Cream-cracker

Knacker

"Knacker" is a racist term referring to an "Irish Traveller," although the use of the term "race" is controversial.

Cream-crackered

Knackered

(Exhausted.) Knackering is the process of rendering horse carcasses.

Mae West

Best

Used only in the negative: "It's not the Mae West."

Nat King Cole

Hole (vagina)

"Getting one's hole" (for a man) means "getting laid."

Rock and roll

Dole


Sallynoggin

Head

"Sallynoggin" is an area of Dublin. The word sounds like rhyming slang, but is instead a straight co-opting of the geographical term.

Septic tank

Yank (n.)

(American)

Swiss

Anus

A shortening of "swiss roll," a common snack food.

[On me] Tod

On my own, solo

Tod Sloan was an American horse jockey. This term entered Hiberno-English from Cockney via Dublin, as did much of Irish rhyming slang.

Tea-leaf

Thief