“I will, yea” being the Irish oxymoron you didn’t know you needed to be fluent in.
The Irish aren’t the most confrontational folks in the world. If we can avoid it, we do. Therefore, if we can avoid being too direct, we’ll do just that.
We’ll avert our eyes, mutter something under our breath, and give some sort of non answer in reply instead of directly saying “No”.
10. I will, yeah – they definitely won’t
If you ask someone to do something, and they respond with “I will, yeah”, well then they definitely won’t be doing what you’ve asked of them.
This expression is literally the definition of saying no without actually saying in Irish households. Let’s say your mate owes you 20 quid, and you ask them, “Are you ever going to get me that 20 quid back?”, and they say “I will, yeah”. You can just say goodbye to that money forever.
9. Leave it with me – don’t leave it with them
If an Irish person has said to you, “Leave it with me”, you’ll probably never hear from them again.
8. Grand – an ambiguous word
The use of the word “Grand” in Ireland has so many meanings. It might be a positive thing, but a lot of the time, there’s more nuance too it.
Especially if someone is in a situation they don’t want to be in, and agreeing to something with a simple “Grand” is easier than flat out saying “No”. If you ask an Irish person if they’d like a cup of tea, they might say “I’m grand”, which means no.
7. Away with you – the playful dismissal
If any Irish person says this, they’re not actually trying to get rid of you, so don’t take offence or be insulted. The person using this phrase is probably playfully telling you that they’re not interested in whatever it is you’re offering.
6. Not a hope – no chance
Beyond a simple “No” is an Irish person telling your there “Isn’t a hope”, as in, “There’s not a hope in hell I’m doing that for you.
5. Catch yourself on – not going to happen
You’ve asked your mate if you can borrow a tenner, and he’s told you to “Catch yourself on”, that’s a hard no in any Irish books. This is an Irish slang expression used regularly in everyday life.
4. I’ll see what I can do – will they, though?
Maybe they will see what they can do, or maybe they’re simply trying to get rid of you. It’s hard to tell sometimes with the Irish.
You might be asking your mechanic to knock a few quid off the job because you’re skint, and they say they’ll see what they can do. More often than not, they saw what they could do, and they’re charging you full price.
3. You must be joking – it’s certainly a no
If someone answers a question with “You must be joking” or “You must be having a laugh”, there is indeed nothing funny about the request, but the responder will not be doing it.
2. Sure, look it – a conversation filler
Often followed by “It’ll be grand”, “Sure, look it” is a conversation gap filler a lot of the time, and even more so if someone is unwilling to agree to something they don’t want to do. “Sure, look it” is an Irish idiom that is almost the same as “It is what it is”.
1. You work away – I’d rather not
You’ve been asked to join someone at a party or event, and you’d rather stick pins in your eyes than go. Thus, your response is “You work away”.
Translation = No thanks, I’d rather not. If your friends are organising a night out and your heart wasn’t really in it anyway, you’ll tell them “You work away”.
