One of the great challenges in moving anywhere foreign is the language. Coming from the real Ireland – west of the Shannon – I quickly realised on arrival in our capital city all those years ago that even a proficiency in three languages, Irish, English and the vernacular, was nowhere adequate enough for communicating with Dubliners.
It was George Bernard Shaw who said the British and Americans were separated by a common language.
Though geographically separated by hundreds, as opposed to thousands, of miles, we from the west generally find ourselves at sea on first arrival in the fair city.
For instance, there’s the compliment Dubliners apply to women: “Cracker of a buuurd”. It translates roughly as: “Oh my, what a beautiful woman”.
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Another Dublin word for “buurd” is “mot”, usually pronounced with a soft “t”, like a “h”, as in “moh”. which are plentiful in Dublin, but never “common”.
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“Yer man’s after leggin’ it,” is a particularly rich Dublin phrase. It can mean “that man is running away”, “that man is running away with something he shouldn’t have”, and “that man is running away before his head is kicked in”.
Then there’s “what’s de story” (note, no question mark), which can be a question or statement, while “where would yeh be goin’ an no bell on yeh bike?” is utterly meaningless and can be whatever you choose it to mean.
[ Sloot: A wonderfully funny slice of delicious DublineseOpens in new window ]
The frequently used “ask me b****x” means “feck off and mind your own business” while a “plonker” is a stupid person and also probably a “culchie”, for anyone from outside the M50, while everything really “cool” is “rapid”.
Oh, and “muppet” has nothing to do with Kermit or Ms Piggy and was even there before them. It refers to “a foolish person”.
Then there’s “The Dubs”. It refers to a football team that won six All-Ireland titles in a row and is probably the first thing you’ll be told about when you arrive in the city, and the last before you lose consciousness there.
Dublinese, for English as (occasionally) spoken in Dublin.
