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?

Bring something with you - I use it
And I have definitely had a sore leg / arm / head!!

@ColleenDonaghy not seen the other thread but surprised

I'm nearly 20 years in NI now and it still drives me mad that they call diluting and minerals "juice". That shit ain't juice!

I had to translate at a family meal at a hotel south of the border once. BIL ordering "pure orange" for the DC, waitress slightly confused asking if he means orange juice, him replying that he means pure orange (because for him orange juice wouldn't just be Tropicana like it was to the waitress, but could also include miwadi and Fanta). He thought it was because the waitress was Eastern European and didn't speak English well enough, had to explain he was the weirdo

I'm Irish, Dublin and they are most definately typical for Dublin.

Genuinely. Just always Pancake Tuesday. At home, school, grandparents. Memories of church are a little too hazy to be sure. I think we would've only heard Shrove Tuesday in a lesson in school, but the teachers wouldn't have actually used it iykwim.

It was called Shrove Tuesday at mass & Catholic school when I grew up in London

Not where I am. SE.

But never at home obvs!

My dh is NI and says things like shall I leave it in, which confuses me because he hasn't taken anything anywhere to leave it.

For example, something in the dining room needs to go in the kitchen. I'll leave it in, huh you mean take it in and leave it there? I still can't understand why he can't say take.

My own dc call it dilute 😆

My DH is Irish and I recognise all of these. I spent a long time looking for my newly laundered top in the hot press the first time I visited.

His family also use:
rashers = bacon
togs/swimmers = swimming costumes
lads = children (or sometimes seems to be any group of people)

Initially I thought the first two were shortenings as the words are obviously used in England as well, but usually as part of a phrase. After 25 years though I've never heard anyone utter the words bacon or costumes.

I'm Irish, Dublin and they are most definately typical for Dublin.

You've misunderstood me. Some are used, sure. They are not typically Irish as opposed to being used in the UK too.

And it's not 'in all' - I'm in Dublin too, what you mean is 'and all', shortened by a certain type of Dublin accent to 'n' all (the 'n' being an abbreviation of 'an')

No wouldn't really hear swimming costume here alright. I'd say swimsuit but togs very common.

They say bacon rather than rashers in NI, or at least DH and his family do. Rashers and Stepheneseses Day are two terms I've lost completely since moving and I miss them.

This thread is quite interesting as there's a lot of words I use without thinking that I never thought as different or that others wouldn't understand but I guess despite growing up in London I was surrounded my other Irish families so it was the norm. I don't actually know that many English people though but again I think it's because schooling/where I grew up very dc was pretty much 1/2nd gen immigrant.

I think we would've only heard Shrove Tuesday in a lesson in school, but the teachers wouldn't have actually used it iykwim.

It would have been used in any Catholic school (which was pretty much every school in Ireland until quite recently!), at Mass & by parents (child of 80s here).

It's still referred to in my kids' schools as such. I find myself using it too, probably just as it's what I grew up with I suppose.

I see no problem with him leaving it in the room!

Every dc!

Christ, I can't type.

lads = children (or sometimes seems to be any group of people)

I never thought of this as being a difference but yes, lads used a lot. Often = DC but also general grouping.

Also an 80s child and definitely not used in my Catholic school or by my parents! Like I say I don't remember Mass well enough but we went to the family mass and the priests were pretty good at communicating with the kids (there's another word used more in Ireland than England!) so I'm guessing they would have said Pancake Tuesday conversationally as well, even if they used Shrove Tuesday in teaching iykwim.

No I mean in all and not and all.My sister is a teacher and it's usual for students to actually shorten in to inal when they write something. As I said it's a Dublin thing. You may live in Dublin now but if your not originally from Dublin there's lots of sayings/words that you won't understand.

My laptop is also old but I don't think MN have a special version for computers past their best 😂

Do you not even have the three dots at the top right?

"Right so...!"
2 words that have so many different meanings.
Eg that's the end of that conversation.
Or I'll start doing that thing I procrastinating about-as you finish your cuppa and make shapes to start said task.
Or "yes I'll do as you ask."
Or to start a sentence to clarify what someone is saying.
Or even just as a bridge from one task or conversation to another.

I still use it after nearly 28yrs in England and people still look at me funny. It seems to make no sense to them even when I explain its all about the context.

Think that maybe colloquial as some areas in England would say brought in that context, and some would say took.
Where 'brought' is incorrect but often used is as a replacement for 'bought' ie purchased. Many English people will say "I brought a lovely coat yesterday" where it should be 'bought'.

Id also find that incompressible, any Irish people visiting me would be going hungry/thirsty too, who has time for that? 😀

The bring versus take discussion is a revelation to me. I've had so many conversations over the years clarifying exactly who is the transporter of the item from where to the destination.
When I was diagnosed as being dyslexic about 6yrs ago I thought that was why I was always being corrected.
To learn its an Irish/English thing rather than me being thick is a real light bulb moment.