Irish in the UK - what are the things that it took you ages to realise people don't say here.

[ConflictedCheetah]

Inspired by the thread about Pancake Tuesday.

That thread has cracked me up because SO many posters are insisting no one EVER calls pancake Tuesday - it's Pancake Day - and sayu it's weird and wanky to call it that. And then all the Irish people on the thread are like ' wait, we've always called it that and never noticed that no one else did.

So what else you got?

For me, and I'm here 20 years, I only found out about a year ago that no one here calls a birth certificate a 'birth cert'. My English husband thought it was proper weird that I kept saying that. I had never picked up that it wasn't a thing! I think Irish people are so used to talking about the Leaving Cert or Junior Cert etc. that the Cert but feels natural. DH says no.

What other ways have I been unknowingly embarrassing myself for 20 years?

Both those make sense to me - maybe from my parents and Grandparents - who are from Lancashire with Catholic routes

Goodness me I've just googled glory hole & wasn't expecting to read what I did!

A friend of my parents used to use it to mean their small cellar.

Loving this thread! My Australian Grandmother used to say ‘don’t be bold’ and ‘doing the messages’ - no Irish in the family for generations.

I'd never heard "lifted" used growing up in ROI but my NI son uses it all the time! We did say "collected" though.

Very Dublin specific but I have a special place in my heart for 'yizzer' 😂😂

Great thread - I'd also say 'amn't I?' - 'aren't I?' just sounds like bad grammar.

Riding is shagging, and a ride is an attractive person.
A massive ride is a very attractive person - as is a dirty ride

I say 'plug out' as the opposite to plug in - instead of unplug.

This is probably not common any more but 'beautiful' for delicious describing food.

This one I am not so sure about as it hasn't come up in ages - but when I first moved to London I think 'next Tuesday' could mean something different. To me next Tuesday is literally the next Tuesday whatever day of the week it currently is - but I think to UK people 'this Tuesday' is the one this week and 'next Tuesday' is Tuesday next week. I might be wrong about this, so be interested to see what others think.

I have definitely seen floor used for outdoor ground in the UK.

Oh and I say nil all as a score.

The absolute state of it / him / her was very irish I think but I've seen it used more widely the last few years.

@diddl
No the no pressing wasn't a lie, it meant I'll ask you once and I won't press you again and again which in the normal course of events would allow you to relent and change your answer.

So in other houses you'd say no a couple of times and then, when "pressed", agree to have some cake (if it's not too much trouble etc etc).

In the no pressing house you were warned you'd only be asked once and not pressed again on the matter!

We'd use Shrove Tuesday in Cork so maybe it's more common further south. We use Pancake Tuesday as well though.

My mother was Irish I was born in England. I always use bold and poorly. No one picks me up on ‘bold’ but I’m sure they don’t know what I’m going on about. I also say ‘that’s grand’

Blunt meaning thick not plain spoken and calling someone your man there - laughed when someone in England said "that's not my man !

The concept of elocution lessons and speaking properly and not letting ourselves down in front of posher (or English) people sits side by side in me with my defence of amn't. We're a people full of contradictions. But c'mere, if you don't say amn't do you actually say "aren't I" in what sounds to some of us here like the English manner? Genuinely don't think I've ever heard that phrasing out of an Irish person's mouth. Or do you just phrase differently like "I'm not".

I will admit to grinding my teeth a little bit when I hear it veering into double or triple negatives... I'm not late yet, amn't I not? 😬

My toaster lives on top of the microwave btw.

Never heard of "ride" until Derry Girls and Michelle

Nah, this Tuesday, on Tuesday and next Tuesday are all the same to me. If there was a Tuesday in between, it would be 'a week on Tuesday'. I'd only tend to use next when it's 4 or more days away though.

I'm confused by the collected one for picked up. Is that not standard across the English speaking world?! I'd definitely say it in Scotland but I'd imagine it's commonly used in England too?

Foundered...for being really cold. Eg I'm foundered.

Scunnered....embarrassed or fed up.

No, I found it quite a jarring phrase when I first moved to England. I had a few friends in Dublin who would say "I'm in me flowers" which I thought was a really sweet euphemism.

I think shows like Derry Girls have brought some of these into awareness, more recently than other sitcomes.

A lot of them seem very familiar in countries like Scotland and Canada too, either from a Celtic connection or lots of immigration from both Ireland and Scotland.

I associate a lot of Irishisms with some lovely Irish nurses I had recently in UK - there seem to be quite a lot of Irish health care providers where I am, so either the phrasing or the accent at least seems to immediately bring up positive thoughts of them looking after me very efficiently!

Omg...me either !! I knew it sounded a bit rude.... but had no idea ...honestly my version is the innocent cupboard....despite the hilarity it brought to some of my non local friends.

My English SIL was a bit perturbed to hear an account of a childhood incident where there was "skin and hair flying". I think she felt that maybe the situation didn't warrant that. And it didn't, of course.

Brilliant thread, I've been reading it for ages.

True Blue Dub here, which is unusual - back to great great grandparents. Not a culchie in sight lol!

So they married mostly IN as in to other Dubs, or occasionally OUT as in to culchies so that many sayings, phrases and colloquialisms have gone down through the years.

Some of my favourites (some may have been mentioned, but feck it) Think Dublin accent which I have.....

Giving out yards - Givvin owh yards
I'm scarlet for you - I'm scarlah for ya - embarrassed for you
Go away out of that - Gway ourra dah - feck off
I'm banjaxed - exhausted, wrecked, same pronunciation.
Stop acting the maggot - stop actin de maggah. Stop messing around.

As for the periods euphemism - in Dublin anyway, the women in our family back when it was a hidden thing called them "Others"

I have me others. Or pronounced in Dublinese - me udders. Sorry I'm crying with laughter here remembering it.

I'll think of more eventually. Well done OP, great banter amongst us all whichever side of the pond we are or North or South.

@Quizine or instead of others, 'I have THEM'!

I'm just after learning that face cloth and lodging a cheque are not standard English. I'm gobsmacked!

Yes, I was gobsmacked about face cloth @FuzzyCaoraDhubh, but I tried googling it and it came up as a British/UK word for American ‘wash cloth’.

I’m English and have never heard anyone call the ground outside the floor! Although I don’t live in England so I’ve either just forgotten or maybe it’s regional.

'Aren't I' is completely illogical, thinking about it, although it's what I'd say.

'This Tuesday' = (to me) this week, whether the day itself is ahead or past.

I'd understand 'collect' = pick up, but I wouldn't say it (of a person - possibly of an item). I'd say 'pick up' or '(go and) get'.

In NI we say “yous” and “yousuns” instead, which I love.

And “here!” to get someone’s attention. “Here yousuns!” - absolute classic of my primary school playground chat.