Ireland’s colloquialisms are often colourful, considered, and, above all, funny. But what are the most and least popular Irish slang phrases?
As a nation with a proud storytelling tradition, Ireland is full of everyday wordsmiths. This is most evident through our long list of slang phrases, many of which won’t make sense to non-natives.
But which is the most popular Irish slang phrase? And, perhaps more interestingly, which is the least? The team at Preply sought to find out.
Determining the most and least popular Irish slang phrases – a challenge
Given the plethora of regional variations, determining the most and least popular Irish slang phrases is certainly a difficult challenge.
However, language experts Preply, attempted to do just that.
The team at Preply compiled a seed list of common Irish slang phrases and calculated the percentages of positive and negative responses for each on Urban Dictionary to help establish the most and least popular Irish slang phrases.
The 5 most popular Irish slang phrases – no room for swear words
There was no room in the top five for iconic phrases like ‘Ride’ and ‘How’s she cuttin’?’. Nor did it include ‘Stop the lights!’ – the exclamation brought back into popular consciousness by a recent Vanity Fair interview with Irish actors Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott.
Instead, Preply’s top five kicked off with ‘Give it a lash’ in fifth place. 92.9% of responses to this phrase – which means to try something – were positive. Just ahead was ‘Dryshite’, meaning someone who’s no craic (93.3%).
In third place, you’ll find ‘Effing and blinding’, meaning to often use swear words – themselves surprising omissions from the list.
The sigh of resignation, ‘Sure look’, took second place on Preply’s list, while ‘Black stuff’ – the common nickname for Ireland’s most iconic export, Guinness – was named the most popular Irish slang phrase.
The 5 least popular Irish slang phrases – who doesn’t like spuds?
Meanwhile, Preply found plenty of Irish slang phrases that don’t enjoy the same levels of popularity as the above.
The fifth least popular was ‘Boyo’, a term of address for a fella, with 27.7% of its Urban Dictionary responses negative. And while we may be well-known for our love of potatoes, the common nickname for the staple food – ‘Spud’ – garnered 30.5% negative results.
‘Delira and excira’, a catchphrase of late Irish TV presenter Gay Byrne, short for delighted and excited, came third (31.9%), while ‘Knackered’ – a synonym for exhausted – ranked second (32.2%).
Out on its own, with 33.9% negative responses, however, was ‘Gwan’, the ubiquitous contraction of the words go and on.
