[Speaking on Andrew Sachs' answerphone]
Russell Brand: Hello Andrew Sachs, this is Russell Brand … you are meant to be on my show now mate … I am here with Jonathan Ross. I could still do the interview to your answerphone.
Jonathan Ross: Let's do it …
Brand: Man … er, Andrew Sachs.
Ross: Don't call him Manuel, that's really bad manners. I apologise for Russell - he's an idiot.
Brand: I said Andrew Sachs! Look Andrew Sachs I have got respect for you and your lineage and your progeny, never let that be questioned.
Ross: Don't hint …
Brand: I weren't hinting! Why did that come across as a hint?
Ross: Because you know what you did…
Brand: That wasn't a hint …
Ross: He fucked your granddaughter!
[laughter in the studio]
Brand: That's his answerphone!
Ross: I'm sorry … I apologise Andrew, I apologise, I can't help it, you were talking about it and it was in my head, I apologise.
Brand: Jonathan!
Ross: I got excited, what can I say, it just came out.
Brand: Right. you wait till I come on your show. Andrew Sachs I did not do nothing with Georgina … oh no, I revealed I know her name! Oh no, it's a disaster! Abort, abort! Put the phone down, put the phone down, code red, code red! I'm sorry Mr Fawlty, I'm sorry. You're a waste of space! Oh no, Jonathan …
Ross: Why did you tell me? I forgot. You mentioned her and then it was in my head and then it came out.
Brand: I know you can't be blamed for this … It's too much for you …
Ross: He is the poor man at home sobbing over his answer machine.
Brand: What's going to happen? I will get a call now from the satanic sluts.
Ross: If he is like most people of a certain age he has probably got a picture of his grandchildren when they were young and innocent right by the phone. So while he is listening to the message he is looking at a picture of her when she was about nine on a swing …
Brand: She was on a swing when I met her … let's ring back Andrew Sachs.
[They call for a second time]
Ross: Hello! Manuel here!
Sachs: [his answer machine message] Sorry I can't answer at the moment …
Brand: [interrupting] … I am too busy thinking about killing myself … Andrew, this is Russell Brand. I am so sorry about the last message - it was part of the radio show, it was a mistake … The truth is I am phoning you to ask if I can marry - that's right, marry - Georgina the granddaughter.
Ross: And I would like to be a page boy.
Brand: He wants to be a page boy, we are going to have a Fawlty Towers-themed wedding.
Ross: Now you've spoilt it!
Brand: No! I made it better. I'm sorry, I'll do anything. I wore a condom. Put the phone down! Oh what's going to happen. Look I've got a mental illness. Do you think that made it better?
Ross: You will never become king rat in the Variety Club now.
Brand: Oh no, that's over for me now … Jonathan I think we've made the situation worse ... We've got to stop upsetting Manuel. This time Jonathan I'm convinced we can make it better.
Ross: Let's just sing to him.
Brand: I'll make up something as I go along…
[Third message]
Brand: [singing…] I'd like to apologise for the terrible attacks, Andrew Sachs, I would like to show contrition to the max, Andrew Sachs. I would like to create world peace, between the yellow, white and blacks, Andrew Sachs, Andrew Sachs. I said something I didn't have oughta, like I had sex with your granddaughter. But it was consensual and she wasn't menstrual, it was consensual lovely sex. It was full of respect I sent her a text, I've asked her to marry me, Andrew Sachs …
Ross: This has made it worse, you have trivialised the whole incident.
Brand: Hang up, hang up! It's trivialised it!
Ross: You know there is one way we could possibly make it better …
Brand: We can keep ringing, and even after the show's finished, kick his front door in and scream apologies into his bottom.
Ross: Hello, Manuel is not in right now. Please leave a message after the tone…
[Fourth message]
Brand: I am sorry, I am so sorry … that I had a difficult life, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry Andrew. Let's just take some time together, we can meet up.
Ross: You're making it worse, just say sorry.
Brand: Jonathan Ross is sorry as well, it was his idea … Sorry about everything that's ever happened …
[Later]
Brand: No one could have been offended by anything that went on in that show.
Ross: Who could possibly be offended by anything there? If they were they are crazy people.
Brand: If Andrew Sachs listens to his answerphone message when he gets it …
Ross: The saving grace is you didn't have anything to do with his granddaughter did you?
Brand: Oh actually I did, I slept with her, but it was ultimately undermined, not undermined, underlined with love …
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Saturday, 25 October 2008
A lexicon of Cockney Rhyming Slang
Adam and Eve = Believe
Alan Whickers = Knickers
Apple Fritter = Bitter (beer)
Apples and Pears = Stairs
Aris = Arse
Army and Navy = Gravy
Artful Dodger = Lodger
Ayrton Senna = Tenner (ten pound note)
Bacon and Eggs = Legs
Barnet Fair = Hair
Boat Race = Face
Battle Cruiser = Boozer (off license)
Bottle and Glass = Arse
Brass bands = Hands
Bread and Honey = Money
Britney Spears = Beers
Brown Bread = Dead
Bubble Bath = Laugh
Butcher's Hook = Look
Chevy Chase = Face
China Plate = Mate
Christian Slater = Later.
Cream Crackered = Knackered (tired/broken)
Currant Bun = Sun.
Daisy Roots = Boots
Danny Marr = Car
David Gower = Shower
Dicky Bird = Word
Dog and Bone = Phone
Donkey's Ears = Years
Drum'n'Bass = Face (Also Drum'n'Bass = place)
Dudley (Dudley Moore) = A score or 20 pounds
Elephant's Ears = Beers
Frog & Toad = Road
Ham'n'cheesy = Easy
Hank Marvin = Starving (hungry).
Jam Jar = Car
Jimmy Riddle = Piddle (urinate)
Joanna = Piano
Khyber Pass = Arse
Lady Godiva = Fiver (five pound note)
Lee Marvin = Starving
Lemon Squeezy = Easy
Lionel Blairs = Flares
Loaf of Bread = Head
Mince Pies = Eyes
Mork and Mindy = Windy
Mother Hubbard = Cupboard
Nanny Goat = Coat
Nelson Mandela = Stella (Artois)
Nuclear Sub = Pub
Oily Rag = Fag (cigarette)
Pen and Ink = Stink
Pete Tong = Wrong
Half Inch = Pinch (steal)
Plate of Meat = Street
Plates of Meat = Feet
Pony = £25
Pony and Trap = Crap
Pork Pies (Porkie Pies) = Lies
Queen Mum = Bum
Rabbit & Pork = Talk
Raspberry Tart = Fart
Richard the Third = Turd
Rosie Lee = Tea
Round The Houses = Trousers
Ruby Murray = Curry
Saucepan Lid = Kid
Septic Tank = Yank
Sky Rocket = Pocket
Steam Tug = Do something stupid (Steam tug = Mug = Fool)
Stoke-on-Trent = Bent (criminal)
Sweeney Todd = Flying Squad (Police)
Syrup of Figs = Wig
Tea Leaf = Thief
Tit for tat (Titfer) = Hat
Tom and Dick = Sick
Tom Foolery = Jewellery
Trouble and Strife = Wife
Two and Eight = State (of anguish)
Uncle Dick = Sick
Weasel & Stoat = Coat
Whistle and Flute = Suit
Alan Whickers = Knickers
Apple Fritter = Bitter (beer)
Apples and Pears = Stairs
Aris = Arse
Army and Navy = Gravy
Artful Dodger = Lodger
Ayrton Senna = Tenner (ten pound note)
Bacon and Eggs = Legs
Barnet Fair = Hair
Boat Race = Face
Battle Cruiser = Boozer (off license)
Bottle and Glass = Arse
Brass bands = Hands
Bread and Honey = Money
Britney Spears = Beers
Brown Bread = Dead
Bubble Bath = Laugh
Butcher's Hook = Look
Chevy Chase = Face
China Plate = Mate
Christian Slater = Later.
Cream Crackered = Knackered (tired/broken)
Currant Bun = Sun.
Daisy Roots = Boots
Danny Marr = Car
David Gower = Shower
Dicky Bird = Word
Dog and Bone = Phone
Donkey's Ears = Years
Drum'n'Bass = Face (Also Drum'n'Bass = place)
Dudley (Dudley Moore) = A score or 20 pounds
Elephant's Ears = Beers
Frog & Toad = Road
Ham'n'cheesy = Easy
Hank Marvin = Starving (hungry).
Jam Jar = Car
Jimmy Riddle = Piddle (urinate)
Joanna = Piano
Khyber Pass = Arse
Lady Godiva = Fiver (five pound note)
Lee Marvin = Starving
Lemon Squeezy = Easy
Lionel Blairs = Flares
Loaf of Bread = Head
Mince Pies = Eyes
Mork and Mindy = Windy
Mother Hubbard = Cupboard
Nanny Goat = Coat
Nelson Mandela = Stella (Artois)
Nuclear Sub = Pub
Oily Rag = Fag (cigarette)
Pen and Ink = Stink
Pete Tong = Wrong
Half Inch = Pinch (steal)
Plate of Meat = Street
Plates of Meat = Feet
Pony = £25
Pony and Trap = Crap
Pork Pies (Porkie Pies) = Lies
Queen Mum = Bum
Rabbit & Pork = Talk
Raspberry Tart = Fart
Richard the Third = Turd
Rosie Lee = Tea
Round The Houses = Trousers
Ruby Murray = Curry
Saucepan Lid = Kid
Septic Tank = Yank
Sky Rocket = Pocket
Steam Tug = Do something stupid (Steam tug = Mug = Fool)
Stoke-on-Trent = Bent (criminal)
Sweeney Todd = Flying Squad (Police)
Syrup of Figs = Wig
Tea Leaf = Thief
Tit for tat (Titfer) = Hat
Tom and Dick = Sick
Tom Foolery = Jewellery
Trouble and Strife = Wife
Two and Eight = State (of anguish)
Uncle Dick = Sick
Weasel & Stoat = Coat
Whistle and Flute = Suit
Saturday, 18 October 2008
Monday, 13 October 2008
Saturday, 11 October 2008
Dismal days
From the Latin dies mali, literally “evil days”.
January 1 and 25
February 4 and 26
March 1 and 28
April 10 and 20
May 3 and 25
June 10 and 16
July 13 and 22
August 1 and 30
September 3 and 21
October 3 and 22
November 5 and 28
December 7 and 22
January 1 and 25
February 4 and 26
March 1 and 28
April 10 and 20
May 3 and 25
June 10 and 16
July 13 and 22
August 1 and 30
September 3 and 21
October 3 and 22
November 5 and 28
December 7 and 22
Saturday, 4 October 2008
Cavanese: English as spoken in Cavan.
While researching "Kinlough vocabulary" I found this:
"Cavanese: English as spoken in Cavan.
Aftergrass /' :f rgr :s/ n. The crop of grass which grew up after the main crop had been cut. In Cavan and Leitrim it has been extended to the colour of the grass, usually a rather pale and naemic greeny-yellow, or to the colour of the dung left by cows after eating it
Amadan /' m d n./ n. A fool, from Irish amad n.
Arcan, n. The last piglet of a litter.
Ashypet n. A sickly, delicate person who sat close to the fireside..
Bardog (also pardog) /bar'dog/ n. A basket, usually of wickerwork, used for spreading dung on potato ridges. From the Irish.
Basin. /'be:s n/ A style of haircut that suggested a basin had been put on the person's head and the hair cut around. For a long time the most popular "cut" in Co. Cavan, especially for children.
Blitridge or Bletridge n. A mass noun, indicating a large number of people or animals, especially birds. This may be related to Irish bleacht.
Bohillans. /'boh l n/ a. Ragwort, from the Irish buachallain bu .
Brabs /br bs/ n. Lumps of used or disagreeable material. 'Brabs o' skitter'. Probably from the Irish brablach refuse.
Breechin'. The reins etc. put on a horse.
Brusey /'bru;zi/ n. A dish of cooked potatoes mashed by bruising. It was a dish given to convalescents.
Bruss. A mess, as in the phrase 'to make bruss of it'.
Brussnagh. n. Brushwood and sticks for firing.
Buck Nun. n. Similar to a votcheen (see below). A very devout woman, who has missed her vocation in life.
Buddley./'b dli/ (vulgar). n, The clitoris or the un-erect penis..
ullman. n. Someone who is involved in the artificial insemination of cattle.
By-Child. n. A child born outside of wedlock.
Caboose a shimozzle, To. v. To make a mess out of something.
Cant. n. A stall or booth selling second-hand or irregularly acquired articles, especially clothes. The name was also given to a jargon or 'secret language' used by stall-holders at markets. From the Old French encant.
Carn. Local pronunciation of SE ‘carrion’, e.g. 'There’s a smell of carn in here.'
Carffufle or Curfuffle: n. A minor disorder, e.g. 'I got into a bit of a curfuffle on me way home from the match'. From the Scots carfuffle.
Calving (vulgar). Somebody having a difficult delivery on the toilet, accompanied by sounds indicative of discomfort. Also used to refer to human childbirth.
Caw n. An unpleasant expression, a frown, though not necessarily transient.e.g. "She's got a horrid caw on her this mornin' "
Cessman. A rate-collector. Probably from Elizabethan English.
Clat, Clatty.n. & a. Mess or dirty and messy. The domestic staff of St Patrick's College, Cavan were long called by students 'The Clatties". May also be applied to the weather; e.g. 'That's a clatty night'. Macafee vs states that the word comes from Scots and dialectal English, ultimately from the same root as clot. He surmises that it may originate from the Middle Dutch clatte, a splotch and the related verb clatten to daub.
Cleggs. n. Horseflies. From Scots and North English usage.
Clift. n. A stupid person, of below-average intelligence, a village idiot. Macafee vs considers that this term, widespread in Ulster, comes from the Northern English cleft.
Clocker. n. A broody hen, maybe sitting on her eggs. From Old English clucian.
Clownie. n. A relative, especially a distant one or one by marriage. From Gaelic cleamhna .
Cobeen. n. A hat, no doubt from the Irish diminutive caipin little cap.
Cogg-dye, On a cogg-dye. A version of coggle. On an unsteady balance, e.g. 'The tile that fell off the roof was on a bit of a cogg-dye'.
Collogues, To be in. v. Talking to one side, apart from the rest of the group. Macafee points to the use of collogues in Scottish and Lancashire dialects. He surmises that it may come from the French en colloques.
Crabbit. Cantankerous and argumentative. Standard English ‘crabbed’, modified through pronunciation.
Creepin’ Jesus. Someone who moves stealthily and silently around a house.
Croil. A version of crowl. A dwarf or under-sized animal. Sometimes extended to humans. Macafee believes that croil originates, via Scots, from the Middle Dutch adjective kriel dwarfish.
Croochan. A humpy, uneven piece of land. From Irish cruachan a mound.
Cuggerin’. Whispering, maybe conspiratorially. From the Irish cogar a whisper..
Curlies n. Kale or borecole. A reflection of the vegetable’s curled leaves.
Cuttin, How's she cuttin'?. A rather dated form of greeting.
Diddies (vulgar). Female breasts. e.g. 'She had a pair o' diddies on her as white as snow'.
Divil a hate. Nothing at all. From the early modern English The Devil ha’ it.
Doddy a. Adjective used to describe undercooked buns and scones. e.g. 'Light Refreshments!? Could tae an' a couple of oul' doddy buns!'. Maybe related to a high content of dough.
Dose n. An annoying person. Standard English, meaning expanded. Australian slang meaning unknown in these parts.
Drany. /’dra:ni As in a drany voice, i.e. in a monotonous tone. Probably onomatopoeic or possibly related to the English dialect verb drant to speak slowly.
Drawky. a. Damp, cold and miserable; a weather description as in 'a drawky day'. The adjective, according to Macafee, comes from Scots, though it ultimately comes from the Norse drakja.
Dreel. Used in the expression Comin’ in dreels. - Coming in substantial numbers.
Dreep, Doin' a dreep. Urinating. Scots version of SE drip.
Droosle. Any cold, non-alcoholic liquid. Can also be used as a present participle adjective as drooslin’, implying a slurping manner of drinking tea or soup.
Drooky a. Applied to a person, especially a young girl, of low spirits.
Dunkle, n. A dung-heap. A pronunciation of dunghill in which the 'gh' is pronounced as /k/.
Dunky. Cavan pronunciation of SE donkey.
Eegit (/'i:git). Cavan version of ‘eedjit’.
Eggbag out, Putting your eggbag out or burstin' your eggbag.. Making a great effort to achieve a result. Probably related to hens. Also used in Cos. Leitrim and Longford.
Faffelin’. Footering.
Fairy Feet. The stealthy movements of a Creepin' Jesus vs.
Feed o’ drink. A binge.
Fer-gorta. Hunger, from the Irish fear gortach or hungry grass.
Fierce /’fi:yers/. An intensifying adverb.
Flittin’. The process of moving from one abode to another, and the attendant removal of furniture, articles of clothing etc.From Scots, though ultimately from the Old Norse flytja cf Modern Swedish flytta to move..
Footless. a. Drunk
Gahilla. n. A young teenaged girl.
Galloot.n. An awkward, stupid person. Probably from archaic English.
Ganderin'. Loitering or acting irresolutely.
Gandyfaced. Jaundiced.
Gaum. A stupid person: from northern English.
Gimp. A foolish, badly-behaved youth.Maybe the same as the Scots gamph.
Girnin’. Laughing senselessly, especially by children or young teenagers. From a northern English dialect.
Gistard or Gistara. Used in the phrase a dry gistard, a mean person, the type who would not ask you ‘had ya a mouth on ya.’ or someone lacking a sense of humour. Maybe from Irish giostaire.
Glaw. Mud. A version of Glaur. Origins may be in the Irish glar, or the English dialect glaur.
Glommin'. Fooling around.
Gommaluther. The same as gaum.
Greesheen. A delicate person with a hyperchondriacal concern for their health and comfort. In the Bawnboy area such a person is visualised sitting close by the fire with their feet in the ashes. From the Irish grios embers.
Gub n. Mouth or sometimes face e,g, 'What've ya got yan gub on ya for?"
Guggerin’. Planting potatoes. The implement known elsewhere as a steeveen was termed a guggering stick. From the Irish gogaireacht.
Hairy Ned. A rough rope, originally of hay or straw, but increasingly used for any binding material. It was said that some males, lacking belts, held their trousers up with 'a lump o' hairy ned'.
Hallion. n. An uncouth individual. Also found in Fermanagh as hellion. According to Macafee it comes from Scots.
Hames. A mess; e.g. 'He's made a right hames of that job'. According to Macafee vs, the hames were 'the two curved pieces resting on the collar of a horse to which the traces were attached'. From the Scots hems.
Hapes n. Cavan pronunciation of SE heaps (of potatoes etc.) Used especially in the idiom for describing cold weather: 'It's cowld for hapes.'
Hasky a. Cold. As in 'a hasky day.'
Haverill. n. An uncouth person. Dolan vs is of the opinion that this is related to the obsolete English dialect verb haver – to talk senselessly, though Macaffee states that it is from Scots.
Headcase or Header. Eccentric or odd person.
Hen. An abusive description of a house-husband, who may be left looking after children while their mother is out or away.
Highogious. Outrageous, v. Ogious.
Hoghelin'. A version of houghelin'. Twisting or making a mess of something. From Scots hough. Also Houghelin' about. Stumbling.
Howaya. Common form of greeting; the local contracted form of ‘How are you?’. It does not anticipate a response.
Idleset.. Habitual laziness. Also a state of mind e.g. 'There's nothin' wrong with yan fella only pure bloody idleset'.
Jandies. The jaundice.
Jorum. As used in Cavan it refers to a quantity of alcohol brought as a present or gift. 'Ya won't be welcome there if ya don't bring a jorum with ya'.
Ketch, ketchyin’. Loitering e.g. 'Yan fella’s always ketchyin’ around after free drink'. Also a man who stays about the house. cf Hen.
Kilt -‘killed’. As in ‘'kilt with the hunger’ (very hungry) or ‘kilt with the cowlt’ (very cold).
Kippeens. Sticks for burning; from the Irish cip n.little sticks.
Leathering. A beating or thrashing administered with a leather belt, or sally rod; sometimes any physical admonition of a child, such as a sharp slap.
Lick-me-lug. A sycophant or lickspittle.
Lie up. v. Spend too long in bed, maybe as a malingerer.
Lorryin’ (pronounced lurryin’). Giving someone a lift in a vehicle (including a car), though indicating that this is done under a certain amount of duress and that the recipient of the favour is abusing the generosity of the driver. Also used generally in ‘loryying around’ or 'lorrying about' .
Loy. The large heavy spade / hand plough used in west Cavan and Leitrim. From the Irish l i. Because many loys were over a metre and a half in length and were often as long as their users were tall there was the idiom suckin' the loy. This had nothing to do with fellatio but referred to men standing against the loy with the tip of the handle coming up to their mouth. A friend from County Sligo told me of a variant adjective from the county: breast-feedinig, applied to local authority road builders who frequently spend extended periods lying against their horizontal spades.
Lug. Ear
Luggin’. Dragging a heavy load, such as a large suitcase.
Luggy. A term used when addressing a stupid person, or abusively, say to a Gaelic footballer who has missed an easy opportunity to score (on the pitch). Macafee mentions a children’s game of the name, played by pulling the ears.
Lunder. An unassociated and unsorted mixture of different items.
Mar dhea. An expression implying that what preceded is not to be taken at face value and may even be disbelieved. It is often used when quoting the statements of others.
Meas /'m :s/ n. Value or importance, e.g. 'He puts no meas on it at all'. From Irish.
Merns. Border or lie alongside e.g. 'His land merns on mine'. From Northern English mearing. (I am indebted to my good friend Keith Good, originally of Miltown Co. Cavan, now of California, for bringing this usage to my attention.)
Monther. Incoherent in speech. e.g. 'When he arrived home from the pub he was talkin' monther.' > Irish mantach
Mossy Bottom. A cut-away bog in the Glangevlin area.
Mowlogs. A fool or idiot..
Nuckeen. A two-faced person..
Ogious. Really a version of SE odious. An intensifier, as in ' Ya can tell by lookin' at yan fella that he's an ogious eegit'.
Oulfashoned. Cheeky.
Pierty. Used to describe people with a long, thin face.
Pissmires. Ants. From piss with the addition of the Old English mire 'ants'.
Plamawser. n A flatterer, from Irish plam s.
Playin’ in the fife-and-drum (vulgar). Pregnant.
Poochin'. Searching for something.
Pot-child. A child born with some form of disability, who was concealed in and brought up (at least initially) in a large pot.
Pruheen and pruhoge, A cabin or small house. From the Irish pruchach a hovel.
Pruhin'. Coughing.
Residenter. n. A person, usually advanced in years, who had been resident in an area for a long time.The word's meaning has been extended to old cars that continue in use well after it is safe to put them on the road; e.g. 'Isn't it a wonder he wouldn't buy a new car instead o' goin' ev'rywhere in yan oul' residenter'. A popular model for this was the Volkswagon Beetle, some of which remained on the roads for over three decades, until finding their Dammerung as hen houses.
Riby. a. Stringy, especially with regard to plants and vegetation; e.g. "Them flowers I put in earlier in the year got horrid riby in the summer." Macafee considers that the word originates from the south-west Scots adjective ribe, used to describe either a stringy cabbage plant or a long-legged thin person.
Scalded Day. Weather in winter, late autumn or early spring characterised by extensive cloud cover and maybe sharp wind, but which is otherwise dry.
Scaldie. n. A nestling. From Old Norse skalle bald.
Scran. mn. A crowd, most usually associated with children, and implying a largish family. e.g. 'They have a scran o’ childer by now'.
Scutty. a. Short, as in scutty hair i.e. hair cut very short.
Sheugh. a. A drainage ditch. Derived from Old Dutch via Scots.
Sick o’ the foalin’ (vulgar). A woman in labour pains who is probably shoutin’ out. i.e. in labour..
Sickner. n. A disagreeable sort of person.
Skite. n. A slap or other physical remonstrance meted out to a disobedient or badly-behaved child. Also used in ‘a skite of water’ – a short burst of water.
Skitter (vulgar). Either a bout of diarrhoea e.g. ‘to have the skitter’ or the product thereof. Probably a version of the English squitter. Also a child, especially one badly behaved. I have heard it used in the curse 'I hope he gets the skitter for three days’ – surely a stunning survival of Celtic triplism! Obviously of Norse origin.
Slopin'. Loitering, as in the phrase slopin' about. Readers may be reminded of Trollope's Mr Slope in Barchester Towers!
Slutherin'. Sliding, usually with the feet. I have heard it used to describe an old man "slutherin' along in an an oul' pair o' shoes". It is obviously related to the version of slither found in some English dialects mentioned by Dolan vs.
Snipy. a. Crooked or hooked, as in a snipy nose.
Stickin’. pres. part. Collecting branches, brushwood and kipeens for fuel.
Stocious. a. Drunk.
Striddlies. n. Sticklebacks.
Sugarhouse n. A small lean-to shed or other hut housing an outside toilet.
Sugeen. A pointed hat..
Tatter, On the tatter. id. A high-octane drinking session. The same as On the tear or the Australian On the tiles.
Thon or tone. A fright.
Thunderin'. An intensifying adjective, especially used in Cavan in the phrase "a thunderin' eegit' signifying a simpleton who, not content to hide his imbecility under a shroud, indulges in ostentatious and idiotic acts drawing attention and ridicule to himself. e.g. "Yan fella in the museum's a horrid thunderin' eegit". cf Clift.
Tiggeen. n. A cabin, especially one occupied by a settled family of the Travelling community. From Gaelic tig n, 'a small house'.
To it an' at it. Involved in an altercation.
Totherly a Slovenly and untidily. The perennial, ever-green form in which the women of Cavan wear their clothes. Skirt hems may go up or down, or pleats multiply, but the garments will always appear as if the wearer grabbed them at random from a cupboard and donned them in a hurry. Macafee states that this is the same as tattery or tatterly, coming from the Scots tat or taut, and ultimately either from the Old Norse tattur or Old English taettrec.
Trake.n. A minor illness, usually though not exclusively related to a virus or food poisoning e.g.' It looks like yav picked up some oul’ trake somewhere'. It can also imply a contagious infection e.g. 'There’s an awful trake goin’ round'. In Co. Leitrim it refers to non-human, especially poultry ailments e.g. 'The hens have the trake; they're not layin' '. From Scots. Macafee vs traces the word back to Dutch and Norwegian dialects.
Tundish.n. A glutton. Also in the idiom ‘to drink like a tundish’ – to drink a lot. According to Macafee vs. it is a small cylinder attached to barrels, especially those containing beer.
Vext..a. Annoyed. Local pronunciation of SE ‘vexed’.
Votcheen. n. A pious woman, used rather disrespectfully. The term as used in Cavan has no notion of a fanatic, though there may be an attribution of hypocrisy.
Weels. n. Fairly deep scratches on the skin.
Weftin'. Moving quickly and forcefully by foot though not running, cf bleechin.
Yan. a. Demonstrative adjective ‘that’. Obviously related to German jener."
The link is here
"Cavanese: English as spoken in Cavan.
Aftergrass /' :f rgr :s/ n. The crop of grass which grew up after the main crop had been cut. In Cavan and Leitrim it has been extended to the colour of the grass, usually a rather pale and naemic greeny-yellow, or to the colour of the dung left by cows after eating it
Amadan /' m d n./ n. A fool, from Irish amad n.
Arcan, n. The last piglet of a litter.
Ashypet n. A sickly, delicate person who sat close to the fireside..
Bardog (also pardog) /bar'dog/ n. A basket, usually of wickerwork, used for spreading dung on potato ridges. From the Irish.
Basin. /'be:s n/ A style of haircut that suggested a basin had been put on the person's head and the hair cut around. For a long time the most popular "cut" in Co. Cavan, especially for children.
Blitridge or Bletridge n. A mass noun, indicating a large number of people or animals, especially birds. This may be related to Irish bleacht.
Bohillans. /'boh l n/ a. Ragwort, from the Irish buachallain bu .
Brabs /br bs/ n. Lumps of used or disagreeable material. 'Brabs o' skitter'. Probably from the Irish brablach refuse.
Breechin'. The reins etc. put on a horse.
Brusey /'bru;zi/ n. A dish of cooked potatoes mashed by bruising. It was a dish given to convalescents.
Bruss. A mess, as in the phrase 'to make bruss of it'.
Brussnagh. n. Brushwood and sticks for firing.
Buck Nun. n. Similar to a votcheen (see below). A very devout woman, who has missed her vocation in life.
Buddley./'b dli/ (vulgar). n, The clitoris or the un-erect penis..
ullman. n. Someone who is involved in the artificial insemination of cattle.
By-Child. n. A child born outside of wedlock.
Caboose a shimozzle, To. v. To make a mess out of something.
Cant. n. A stall or booth selling second-hand or irregularly acquired articles, especially clothes. The name was also given to a jargon or 'secret language' used by stall-holders at markets. From the Old French encant.
Carn. Local pronunciation of SE ‘carrion’, e.g. 'There’s a smell of carn in here.'
Carffufle or Curfuffle: n. A minor disorder, e.g. 'I got into a bit of a curfuffle on me way home from the match'. From the Scots carfuffle.
Calving (vulgar). Somebody having a difficult delivery on the toilet, accompanied by sounds indicative of discomfort. Also used to refer to human childbirth.
Caw n. An unpleasant expression, a frown, though not necessarily transient.e.g. "She's got a horrid caw on her this mornin' "
Cessman. A rate-collector. Probably from Elizabethan English.
Clat, Clatty.n. & a. Mess or dirty and messy. The domestic staff of St Patrick's College, Cavan were long called by students 'The Clatties". May also be applied to the weather; e.g. 'That's a clatty night'. Macafee vs states that the word comes from Scots and dialectal English, ultimately from the same root as clot. He surmises that it may originate from the Middle Dutch clatte, a splotch and the related verb clatten to daub.
Cleggs. n. Horseflies. From Scots and North English usage.
Clift. n. A stupid person, of below-average intelligence, a village idiot. Macafee vs considers that this term, widespread in Ulster, comes from the Northern English cleft.
Clocker. n. A broody hen, maybe sitting on her eggs. From Old English clucian.
Clownie. n. A relative, especially a distant one or one by marriage. From Gaelic cleamhna .
Cobeen. n. A hat, no doubt from the Irish diminutive caipin little cap.
Cogg-dye, On a cogg-dye. A version of coggle. On an unsteady balance, e.g. 'The tile that fell off the roof was on a bit of a cogg-dye'.
Collogues, To be in. v. Talking to one side, apart from the rest of the group. Macafee points to the use of collogues in Scottish and Lancashire dialects. He surmises that it may come from the French en colloques.
Crabbit. Cantankerous and argumentative. Standard English ‘crabbed’, modified through pronunciation.
Creepin’ Jesus. Someone who moves stealthily and silently around a house.
Croil. A version of crowl. A dwarf or under-sized animal. Sometimes extended to humans. Macafee believes that croil originates, via Scots, from the Middle Dutch adjective kriel dwarfish.
Croochan. A humpy, uneven piece of land. From Irish cruachan a mound.
Cuggerin’. Whispering, maybe conspiratorially. From the Irish cogar a whisper..
Curlies n. Kale or borecole. A reflection of the vegetable’s curled leaves.
Cuttin, How's she cuttin'?. A rather dated form of greeting.
Diddies (vulgar). Female breasts. e.g. 'She had a pair o' diddies on her as white as snow'.
Divil a hate. Nothing at all. From the early modern English The Devil ha’ it.
Doddy a. Adjective used to describe undercooked buns and scones. e.g. 'Light Refreshments!? Could tae an' a couple of oul' doddy buns!'. Maybe related to a high content of dough.
Dose n. An annoying person. Standard English, meaning expanded. Australian slang meaning unknown in these parts.
Drany. /’dra:ni As in a drany voice, i.e. in a monotonous tone. Probably onomatopoeic or possibly related to the English dialect verb drant to speak slowly.
Drawky. a. Damp, cold and miserable; a weather description as in 'a drawky day'. The adjective, according to Macafee, comes from Scots, though it ultimately comes from the Norse drakja.
Dreel. Used in the expression Comin’ in dreels. - Coming in substantial numbers.
Dreep, Doin' a dreep. Urinating. Scots version of SE drip.
Droosle. Any cold, non-alcoholic liquid. Can also be used as a present participle adjective as drooslin’, implying a slurping manner of drinking tea or soup.
Drooky a. Applied to a person, especially a young girl, of low spirits.
Dunkle, n. A dung-heap. A pronunciation of dunghill in which the 'gh' is pronounced as /k/.
Dunky. Cavan pronunciation of SE donkey.
Eegit (/'i:git). Cavan version of ‘eedjit’.
Eggbag out, Putting your eggbag out or burstin' your eggbag.. Making a great effort to achieve a result. Probably related to hens. Also used in Cos. Leitrim and Longford.
Faffelin’. Footering.
Fairy Feet. The stealthy movements of a Creepin' Jesus vs.
Feed o’ drink. A binge.
Fer-gorta. Hunger, from the Irish fear gortach or hungry grass.
Fierce /’fi:yers/. An intensifying adverb.
Flittin’. The process of moving from one abode to another, and the attendant removal of furniture, articles of clothing etc.From Scots, though ultimately from the Old Norse flytja cf Modern Swedish flytta to move..
Footless. a. Drunk
Gahilla. n. A young teenaged girl.
Galloot.n. An awkward, stupid person. Probably from archaic English.
Ganderin'. Loitering or acting irresolutely.
Gandyfaced. Jaundiced.
Gaum. A stupid person: from northern English.
Gimp. A foolish, badly-behaved youth.Maybe the same as the Scots gamph.
Girnin’. Laughing senselessly, especially by children or young teenagers. From a northern English dialect.
Gistard or Gistara. Used in the phrase a dry gistard, a mean person, the type who would not ask you ‘had ya a mouth on ya.’ or someone lacking a sense of humour. Maybe from Irish giostaire.
Glaw. Mud. A version of Glaur. Origins may be in the Irish glar, or the English dialect glaur.
Glommin'. Fooling around.
Gommaluther. The same as gaum.
Greesheen. A delicate person with a hyperchondriacal concern for their health and comfort. In the Bawnboy area such a person is visualised sitting close by the fire with their feet in the ashes. From the Irish grios embers.
Gub n. Mouth or sometimes face e,g, 'What've ya got yan gub on ya for?"
Guggerin’. Planting potatoes. The implement known elsewhere as a steeveen was termed a guggering stick. From the Irish gogaireacht.
Hairy Ned. A rough rope, originally of hay or straw, but increasingly used for any binding material. It was said that some males, lacking belts, held their trousers up with 'a lump o' hairy ned'.
Hallion. n. An uncouth individual. Also found in Fermanagh as hellion. According to Macafee it comes from Scots.
Hames. A mess; e.g. 'He's made a right hames of that job'. According to Macafee vs, the hames were 'the two curved pieces resting on the collar of a horse to which the traces were attached'. From the Scots hems.
Hapes n. Cavan pronunciation of SE heaps (of potatoes etc.) Used especially in the idiom for describing cold weather: 'It's cowld for hapes.'
Hasky a. Cold. As in 'a hasky day.'
Haverill. n. An uncouth person. Dolan vs is of the opinion that this is related to the obsolete English dialect verb haver – to talk senselessly, though Macaffee states that it is from Scots.
Headcase or Header. Eccentric or odd person.
Hen. An abusive description of a house-husband, who may be left looking after children while their mother is out or away.
Highogious. Outrageous, v. Ogious.
Hoghelin'. A version of houghelin'. Twisting or making a mess of something. From Scots hough. Also Houghelin' about. Stumbling.
Howaya. Common form of greeting; the local contracted form of ‘How are you?’. It does not anticipate a response.
Idleset.. Habitual laziness. Also a state of mind e.g. 'There's nothin' wrong with yan fella only pure bloody idleset'.
Jandies. The jaundice.
Jorum. As used in Cavan it refers to a quantity of alcohol brought as a present or gift. 'Ya won't be welcome there if ya don't bring a jorum with ya'.
Ketch, ketchyin’. Loitering e.g. 'Yan fella’s always ketchyin’ around after free drink'. Also a man who stays about the house. cf Hen.
Kilt -‘killed’. As in ‘'kilt with the hunger’ (very hungry) or ‘kilt with the cowlt’ (very cold).
Kippeens. Sticks for burning; from the Irish cip n.little sticks.
Leathering. A beating or thrashing administered with a leather belt, or sally rod; sometimes any physical admonition of a child, such as a sharp slap.
Lick-me-lug. A sycophant or lickspittle.
Lie up. v. Spend too long in bed, maybe as a malingerer.
Lorryin’ (pronounced lurryin’). Giving someone a lift in a vehicle (including a car), though indicating that this is done under a certain amount of duress and that the recipient of the favour is abusing the generosity of the driver. Also used generally in ‘loryying around’ or 'lorrying about' .
Loy. The large heavy spade / hand plough used in west Cavan and Leitrim. From the Irish l i. Because many loys were over a metre and a half in length and were often as long as their users were tall there was the idiom suckin' the loy. This had nothing to do with fellatio but referred to men standing against the loy with the tip of the handle coming up to their mouth. A friend from County Sligo told me of a variant adjective from the county: breast-feedinig, applied to local authority road builders who frequently spend extended periods lying against their horizontal spades.
Lug. Ear
Luggin’. Dragging a heavy load, such as a large suitcase.
Luggy. A term used when addressing a stupid person, or abusively, say to a Gaelic footballer who has missed an easy opportunity to score (on the pitch). Macafee mentions a children’s game of the name, played by pulling the ears.
Lunder. An unassociated and unsorted mixture of different items.
Mar dhea. An expression implying that what preceded is not to be taken at face value and may even be disbelieved. It is often used when quoting the statements of others.
Meas /'m :s/ n. Value or importance, e.g. 'He puts no meas on it at all'. From Irish.
Merns. Border or lie alongside e.g. 'His land merns on mine'. From Northern English mearing. (I am indebted to my good friend Keith Good, originally of Miltown Co. Cavan, now of California, for bringing this usage to my attention.)
Monther. Incoherent in speech. e.g. 'When he arrived home from the pub he was talkin' monther.' > Irish mantach
Mossy Bottom. A cut-away bog in the Glangevlin area.
Mowlogs. A fool or idiot..
Nuckeen. A two-faced person..
Ogious. Really a version of SE odious. An intensifier, as in ' Ya can tell by lookin' at yan fella that he's an ogious eegit'.
Oulfashoned. Cheeky.
Pierty. Used to describe people with a long, thin face.
Pissmires. Ants. From piss with the addition of the Old English mire 'ants'.
Plamawser. n A flatterer, from Irish plam s.
Playin’ in the fife-and-drum (vulgar). Pregnant.
Poochin'. Searching for something.
Pot-child. A child born with some form of disability, who was concealed in and brought up (at least initially) in a large pot.
Pruheen and pruhoge, A cabin or small house. From the Irish pruchach a hovel.
Pruhin'. Coughing.
Residenter. n. A person, usually advanced in years, who had been resident in an area for a long time.The word's meaning has been extended to old cars that continue in use well after it is safe to put them on the road; e.g. 'Isn't it a wonder he wouldn't buy a new car instead o' goin' ev'rywhere in yan oul' residenter'. A popular model for this was the Volkswagon Beetle, some of which remained on the roads for over three decades, until finding their Dammerung as hen houses.
Riby. a. Stringy, especially with regard to plants and vegetation; e.g. "Them flowers I put in earlier in the year got horrid riby in the summer." Macafee considers that the word originates from the south-west Scots adjective ribe, used to describe either a stringy cabbage plant or a long-legged thin person.
Scalded Day. Weather in winter, late autumn or early spring characterised by extensive cloud cover and maybe sharp wind, but which is otherwise dry.
Scaldie. n. A nestling. From Old Norse skalle bald.
Scran. mn. A crowd, most usually associated with children, and implying a largish family. e.g. 'They have a scran o’ childer by now'.
Scutty. a. Short, as in scutty hair i.e. hair cut very short.
Sheugh. a. A drainage ditch. Derived from Old Dutch via Scots.
Sick o’ the foalin’ (vulgar). A woman in labour pains who is probably shoutin’ out. i.e. in labour..
Sickner. n. A disagreeable sort of person.
Skite. n. A slap or other physical remonstrance meted out to a disobedient or badly-behaved child. Also used in ‘a skite of water’ – a short burst of water.
Skitter (vulgar). Either a bout of diarrhoea e.g. ‘to have the skitter’ or the product thereof. Probably a version of the English squitter. Also a child, especially one badly behaved. I have heard it used in the curse 'I hope he gets the skitter for three days’ – surely a stunning survival of Celtic triplism! Obviously of Norse origin.
Slopin'. Loitering, as in the phrase slopin' about. Readers may be reminded of Trollope's Mr Slope in Barchester Towers!
Slutherin'. Sliding, usually with the feet. I have heard it used to describe an old man "slutherin' along in an an oul' pair o' shoes". It is obviously related to the version of slither found in some English dialects mentioned by Dolan vs.
Snipy. a. Crooked or hooked, as in a snipy nose.
Stickin’. pres. part. Collecting branches, brushwood and kipeens for fuel.
Stocious. a. Drunk.
Striddlies. n. Sticklebacks.
Sugarhouse n. A small lean-to shed or other hut housing an outside toilet.
Sugeen. A pointed hat..
Tatter, On the tatter. id. A high-octane drinking session. The same as On the tear or the Australian On the tiles.
Thon or tone. A fright.
Thunderin'. An intensifying adjective, especially used in Cavan in the phrase "a thunderin' eegit' signifying a simpleton who, not content to hide his imbecility under a shroud, indulges in ostentatious and idiotic acts drawing attention and ridicule to himself. e.g. "Yan fella in the museum's a horrid thunderin' eegit". cf Clift.
Tiggeen. n. A cabin, especially one occupied by a settled family of the Travelling community. From Gaelic tig n, 'a small house'.
To it an' at it. Involved in an altercation.
Totherly a Slovenly and untidily. The perennial, ever-green form in which the women of Cavan wear their clothes. Skirt hems may go up or down, or pleats multiply, but the garments will always appear as if the wearer grabbed them at random from a cupboard and donned them in a hurry. Macafee states that this is the same as tattery or tatterly, coming from the Scots tat or taut, and ultimately either from the Old Norse tattur or Old English taettrec.
Trake.n. A minor illness, usually though not exclusively related to a virus or food poisoning e.g.' It looks like yav picked up some oul’ trake somewhere'. It can also imply a contagious infection e.g. 'There’s an awful trake goin’ round'. In Co. Leitrim it refers to non-human, especially poultry ailments e.g. 'The hens have the trake; they're not layin' '. From Scots. Macafee vs traces the word back to Dutch and Norwegian dialects.
Tundish.n. A glutton. Also in the idiom ‘to drink like a tundish’ – to drink a lot. According to Macafee vs. it is a small cylinder attached to barrels, especially those containing beer.
Vext..a. Annoyed. Local pronunciation of SE ‘vexed’.
Votcheen. n. A pious woman, used rather disrespectfully. The term as used in Cavan has no notion of a fanatic, though there may be an attribution of hypocrisy.
Weels. n. Fairly deep scratches on the skin.
Weftin'. Moving quickly and forcefully by foot though not running, cf bleechin.
Yan. a. Demonstrative adjective ‘that’. Obviously related to German jener."
The link is here
Kinlough vocabulary
While I was looking for something else I stumbled upon a site which gives a list of rare words:
"The people of Dartry had (and still have) their own expressive language. Many of the words which were formerly in common usage in the area have disappeared completely, particularly among the younger generation. Below is a sample of the words formerly in use which are now fast disappearing. Some are derived from Irish, others from 18th and 19th century English. The spelling is mostly phonetic.
ault - (Irish). A narrow glen with cliffs on both sides.
banting - (19th century English). Slimming.
besom - A small brush made from heather for sweeping around the fire.
brae - (English). The side of a hill. He went up the Slippy Brae.
breetog - (Irish). A paunch; protruding stomach.
britchel - (From English breeching). The back part of a donkey/horse harness. He put the britchel on the ass.
brosna - (Irish). Small sticks used to light a fire.
bruisie - (English). Potatoes mashed with milk and butter.
buckawn - (Irish). A hinge hook for a door/gate.
bulker - (English). Large marble. I lost my bulker in the game.
cantman - (English). A travelling trader.
cartgrease - (English). A thick grease used on the axles of carts.
ceili - (Irish). To visit. Can you ceili for a while?
ceolan - Irish). A cowardly type of person. He's a big ceolan.
cippins - (Irish). Little sticks. She lit the fire with cippins.
citeog - (Irish). A left-handed person.
clauber - (Irish). Wet mud. They were covered in clauber.
clew - (English). A ball of rope made from straw or hay.
clift - A foolish person.
clocker - (English). A broody hen.
closh - (Irish). To tell tales. She closhed to the teacher.
cooper - (English). A barrel maker.
crathán - Long grass.
creel - (English). A large wicker back basket used for carrying turf etc.
cribrod - (English). An iron rod used to attach a crib to a cart.
criven - A rounded heap. He put a criven of turf on the cart.
curragh - (Irish). A low flat field, often wet.
cutty - (English). A girl. She is a nice wee cutty.
dander - A walk. He took a dander up the road.
dexter - A short-legged cow.
docken - (English). A dock leaf. Rubbed on the skin as a cure for nettle stings.
dorneen - (Irish). A short hand-grip attached to the handle of a scythe
dreep - (Colloquial). To drip or drain.
drooth - (19th century English). Thirst. I am dying with the drooth.
dúidín - (Irish). A clay pipe. He was smoking a duidin.
dunt - (19th century Scots English). A blow.
fooster - To handle awkwardly.
footery - Fumbling/awkward.
footing - (English). Small stack of 6 to 8 turf, used for drying turf on the bog. We were footing the turf.
fosy - Soft. The bread was very fosy.
gad - (Irish). An iron hoop used to attach a cattle chain to a wooden post in a byre.
galluses - Braces or suspenders for trousers.
gander - To look. Take a gander at this.
gastha - (Irish). A stream.
gawall - (Irish). An armful. Bring in a gawall of turf.
gilly - (Irish). A boatman. Also short for gillaroo trout.
girning - Complaining. What are you girning about?
gollop - (Colloquial). To gulp down.
gom - A simple-minded person.
grasscock - (English). A small round pile of grass used to assist drying.
griosach - (Irish). Ashes in a fire.
gulder - (Irish). A shout. He let a gulder out of him.
gulpin - A greedy person.
hams - (English). A hames. A wooden or metal attachment to a horse collar.
hanger - (English). A carrying strap of sacking or hay rope on a creel.
harry - A daddy-long-legs or cranefly.
haveral - A big awkward person.
heise - To lift. Give me a heise with this bag.
hobnail - (English). A large-headed nail used to protect the soles of boots.
huckster - (English). A general trader/shopkeeper
hunkers - (Scots English). A squatting position. She went on her hunkers.
jook - To conceal oneself. He jooked behind the hedge.
junt - A large piece. She ate a junt of bread.
keeb - (Irish). Short dry grass. The field was only fit for growing keeb.
kesh - (Irish). A small bridge over a drain. Take the cart over the kesh.
leebeen - (Irish líbín). Anything soaking wet. He was like a leebeen.
loy - (Irish). A long-bladed spade.
maum - (Irish). A handful.
mauntach - (Irish). Having a speech impediment.
mearing - The dividing line/fence between two farms.
meitheal - (Irish). A group of farmers working co-operatively.
nave - Centre of a cart wheel.
oxter - (Irish). Under the arm. He had a book under his oxter.
paring - (English). The dry heathery topsod of a bog.
pardóg - A basket used in pairs on a donkey.
pishreóg - (Irish). A superstition.
plosh - To mess with water. The children were ploshing in the river.
polly - (English). A hornless cow.
ponger - (Old English). A porringer - a tin mug used for drinking.
pooch - To search. She was pooching in the room.
pookeen - A small potato.
pooler - (English). A stonemason who prepared stone for building.
pooter - To do small jobs, to work ineffectually.
rickling - (English). A long low heap of turf.
sally - (English). Part of a sallow bush. She cut a sally rod.
scaldy - An unfledged bird. There were three scaldies in the nest.
scraw - A rectangular sod of earth, often used beneath thatch.
semmit - (Old English). A sleeved vest of heavy material. Pronounced simmet.
sheugh - (Irish). Pronounced "shuck". An open drain.
shoeing - The iron tyre surrounding a cartwheel.
shooler - (Irish). A wanderer; a useless person.
skite - A blow. I got a skite from the cow's tail.
slanlus - (Irish). Grass plantain.
slipe - A wheel-less cart.
slunk - A hole in a road or laneway.
smur - A light shower of rain.
sned - The handle of a scythe.
soople - (Colloquial). Supple or fit.
spadóg - (Irish). Poor quality turf.
spancil - (Irish). A method of restricting the movement of animals by tying two legs together with sacking.
spaul - (English). Small stones remaining after larger stones are dressed. Used in making walls.
spavin - (English). A faulty walking movement, especially in donkeys.
sprit - Short rushy grass.
stinch - To make water-tight. The barrel is stinch.
strockle - To struggle. He strockled with the heavy bag.
styling - Bushes placed under a cock of hay.
sweal - To surround with rope.
swingle - A wooden or metal crossbar used to attach a horse to a plough.
tallach - (Irish). A swelling or soreness of the wrist.
taw - (English). A marble, originally of clay.
teem - (English). To drain. She teemed the pot.
thally - Awkward.
thole - To bear. Can you thole the pain?
thraneen - (Irish). A tall grass with a seed-head.
tramcock - (English). A tramp-cock; a cock of hay built by pressing the hay into place with the feet.
trawhook - A hook with handles for twisting rope from hay.
traws - Tails. The straw was gathered heads and traws.
wrack - Seaweed used as fertiliser."
The link is here. Enjoy!
"The people of Dartry had (and still have) their own expressive language. Many of the words which were formerly in common usage in the area have disappeared completely, particularly among the younger generation. Below is a sample of the words formerly in use which are now fast disappearing. Some are derived from Irish, others from 18th and 19th century English. The spelling is mostly phonetic.
ault - (Irish). A narrow glen with cliffs on both sides.
banting - (19th century English). Slimming.
besom - A small brush made from heather for sweeping around the fire.
brae - (English). The side of a hill. He went up the Slippy Brae.
breetog - (Irish). A paunch; protruding stomach.
britchel - (From English breeching). The back part of a donkey/horse harness. He put the britchel on the ass.
brosna - (Irish). Small sticks used to light a fire.
bruisie - (English). Potatoes mashed with milk and butter.
buckawn - (Irish). A hinge hook for a door/gate.
bulker - (English). Large marble. I lost my bulker in the game.
cantman - (English). A travelling trader.
cartgrease - (English). A thick grease used on the axles of carts.
ceili - (Irish). To visit. Can you ceili for a while?
ceolan - Irish). A cowardly type of person. He's a big ceolan.
cippins - (Irish). Little sticks. She lit the fire with cippins.
citeog - (Irish). A left-handed person.
clauber - (Irish). Wet mud. They were covered in clauber.
clew - (English). A ball of rope made from straw or hay.
clift - A foolish person.
clocker - (English). A broody hen.
closh - (Irish). To tell tales. She closhed to the teacher.
cooper - (English). A barrel maker.
crathán - Long grass.
creel - (English). A large wicker back basket used for carrying turf etc.
cribrod - (English). An iron rod used to attach a crib to a cart.
criven - A rounded heap. He put a criven of turf on the cart.
curragh - (Irish). A low flat field, often wet.
cutty - (English). A girl. She is a nice wee cutty.
dander - A walk. He took a dander up the road.
dexter - A short-legged cow.
docken - (English). A dock leaf. Rubbed on the skin as a cure for nettle stings.
dorneen - (Irish). A short hand-grip attached to the handle of a scythe
dreep - (Colloquial). To drip or drain.
drooth - (19th century English). Thirst. I am dying with the drooth.
dúidín - (Irish). A clay pipe. He was smoking a duidin.
dunt - (19th century Scots English). A blow.
fooster - To handle awkwardly.
footery - Fumbling/awkward.
footing - (English). Small stack of 6 to 8 turf, used for drying turf on the bog. We were footing the turf.
fosy - Soft. The bread was very fosy.
gad - (Irish). An iron hoop used to attach a cattle chain to a wooden post in a byre.
galluses - Braces or suspenders for trousers.
gander - To look. Take a gander at this.
gastha - (Irish). A stream.
gawall - (Irish). An armful. Bring in a gawall of turf.
gilly - (Irish). A boatman. Also short for gillaroo trout.
girning - Complaining. What are you girning about?
gollop - (Colloquial). To gulp down.
gom - A simple-minded person.
grasscock - (English). A small round pile of grass used to assist drying.
griosach - (Irish). Ashes in a fire.
gulder - (Irish). A shout. He let a gulder out of him.
gulpin - A greedy person.
hams - (English). A hames. A wooden or metal attachment to a horse collar.
hanger - (English). A carrying strap of sacking or hay rope on a creel.
harry - A daddy-long-legs or cranefly.
haveral - A big awkward person.
heise - To lift. Give me a heise with this bag.
hobnail - (English). A large-headed nail used to protect the soles of boots.
huckster - (English). A general trader/shopkeeper
hunkers - (Scots English). A squatting position. She went on her hunkers.
jook - To conceal oneself. He jooked behind the hedge.
junt - A large piece. She ate a junt of bread.
keeb - (Irish). Short dry grass. The field was only fit for growing keeb.
kesh - (Irish). A small bridge over a drain. Take the cart over the kesh.
leebeen - (Irish líbín). Anything soaking wet. He was like a leebeen.
loy - (Irish). A long-bladed spade.
maum - (Irish). A handful.
mauntach - (Irish). Having a speech impediment.
mearing - The dividing line/fence between two farms.
meitheal - (Irish). A group of farmers working co-operatively.
nave - Centre of a cart wheel.
oxter - (Irish). Under the arm. He had a book under his oxter.
paring - (English). The dry heathery topsod of a bog.
pardóg - A basket used in pairs on a donkey.
pishreóg - (Irish). A superstition.
plosh - To mess with water. The children were ploshing in the river.
polly - (English). A hornless cow.
ponger - (Old English). A porringer - a tin mug used for drinking.
pooch - To search. She was pooching in the room.
pookeen - A small potato.
pooler - (English). A stonemason who prepared stone for building.
pooter - To do small jobs, to work ineffectually.
rickling - (English). A long low heap of turf.
sally - (English). Part of a sallow bush. She cut a sally rod.
scaldy - An unfledged bird. There were three scaldies in the nest.
scraw - A rectangular sod of earth, often used beneath thatch.
semmit - (Old English). A sleeved vest of heavy material. Pronounced simmet.
sheugh - (Irish). Pronounced "shuck". An open drain.
shoeing - The iron tyre surrounding a cartwheel.
shooler - (Irish). A wanderer; a useless person.
skite - A blow. I got a skite from the cow's tail.
slanlus - (Irish). Grass plantain.
slipe - A wheel-less cart.
slunk - A hole in a road or laneway.
smur - A light shower of rain.
sned - The handle of a scythe.
soople - (Colloquial). Supple or fit.
spadóg - (Irish). Poor quality turf.
spancil - (Irish). A method of restricting the movement of animals by tying two legs together with sacking.
spaul - (English). Small stones remaining after larger stones are dressed. Used in making walls.
spavin - (English). A faulty walking movement, especially in donkeys.
sprit - Short rushy grass.
stinch - To make water-tight. The barrel is stinch.
strockle - To struggle. He strockled with the heavy bag.
styling - Bushes placed under a cock of hay.
sweal - To surround with rope.
swingle - A wooden or metal crossbar used to attach a horse to a plough.
tallach - (Irish). A swelling or soreness of the wrist.
taw - (English). A marble, originally of clay.
teem - (English). To drain. She teemed the pot.
thally - Awkward.
thole - To bear. Can you thole the pain?
thraneen - (Irish). A tall grass with a seed-head.
tramcock - (English). A tramp-cock; a cock of hay built by pressing the hay into place with the feet.
trawhook - A hook with handles for twisting rope from hay.
traws - Tails. The straw was gathered heads and traws.
wrack - Seaweed used as fertiliser."
The link is here. Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
