The Best Northern Irish Slang Words and Phrases Translated “Intill” English and Polish

“So it is” – Northern Irish people, daily.

So it is. Yes, we really do say that too often, so we do. Growing up in Northern Ireland, we always had our own slang. At the time, I didn’t know another world. I remember ordering “a chip” in England for the first time, only to be laughed at. The thing is, English people, I was right wasn’t I? I mean they are not FRENCH fries, and we don’t need to use the word “portion” now do we? We know it’s a portion. It’s not a portion of pizza, or a portion of sushi, or a portion of chips or a portion of pierogi is it? It’s pizza, sushi, chip, pierogi.  When I lived in Bournemouth, I used to visit my family for a few days then fill my backpack up entirely with the below food. I kid you not…

Then, in 2011 while living in Hong Kong, I became a professional English teacher. Life working in bars, in PR, on farms and in ice cream huts were left behind. Since that day, as well as being a professional travel blogger, I have taught English to all ages and sexes from 3 to 70. I have taught in Kindergartens, Primary Schools and Secondary Schools. I have taught in businesses, to governments and to individual clients. I am currently a registered Native English teacher in Poland with years of experience.

However, part of me LOVES the creativity of the English language. The nonsense part of it. While I teach professionally from the books of Oxford, Cambridge and Shakespeare, away from that I love good old slang, idioms, cockney rhymes and…Northern Irish-isms.

Growing up in Northern Ireland, we had our own dialects and slangs that other parts of the United Kingdom just didn’t get. Even those in the Republic of Ireland looked at me as if I had two heads. It was the six county slang, the Ulster twang. It was a mix of:

1.English
2.Gaelic
3.Ulster Scots
4.Good old Northern Irish banter

And personally, I love the good old banter in Norn Iron so I do. Quare craic so it is. Aye, yer tellin me so ye are?! Anyway for those English and Polish people out there, ye might just understand this, or ye might nat so ye might nat…this is just a short list of some Northern Irish phrases and words that I have tried my best to translate into English and Polish. I might have made some mistakes, but will update and correct as best I can!

The format is as such:

Northern Irish phrase

English phrase translation (roughly)
Polish phrase translation (roughly)

Example – “example sentence so it is”.

Here goes…

Across the water 

In England mostly (but also Scotland or Wales)
W anglii lub Wielki Brytanii

Example – “Them there boys across the water don’t get it so they don’t”.

Acting the lig

Messing or fooling around, up to no good
Zachowywać się jak idiota

Example – “Stop acting the lig you”.

Ah bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy na na na na na

To jump up and down insanely for a short period (usually at a football match or in a crowd near a stadium
Robić ‘Poznań’ (except without turning your back)

Example (watch the video) –

Bake

Mouth
Usta

Example – “Shut yer bake you”.

Banjaxed

Broke (often beyond repair)
Złamany

Example – “Thon DVD player’s banjaxed so it is”.

Beezer!

Super!
Swietnie!

Example – “See that 50 yarder from David Healy, it was beezer so it was”.

Beg

Bag
Torba

Example – “Can you put my fleg and my tap intill my beg?”

Boggin

Filthy
Bardzo brudny

Example – “the bogs are absolutely boggin so they are”.

Bogs

Loo
Toaleta

Example – “Mind my pint, I’m headin till the bogs so I am”.

Bout ye

How are you?
Jak sie masz? / Jak tam? / Co słyhać?

Example – “Bout ye big lad”.

Brave

A lot, a big amount, very
Bardzo

Example – “Thon’s a brave chip ye have there Billy”.

Buck eejit

Extremely funny and endearing idiot capable of stupidities
Idiot

Example – “See yer man there, he’s a buck eejit so he is”.

Bucketin’

Raining heavily
Ulewa

Example – “The wee Glens game is off cos it’s bucketin’ so it is”.

Buckie

Buckfast Tonic Wine
Wino Buckfasto z tonikiem

Example – “My mate Barry is nuts so he is – he took 12 bottles of Bucky in his carryon”.

Carryout

Takeaway alcohol, and alcohol only, not food.
Wziąć alkohol na wynos

Example – “I’m headin till the offy till get myself a wee carryout so I am”.

Catchy kissy

Boys chasing girls at school to kiss them (and vice versa)
Chłopcy ganiają dziewczyny w szkole by je pocałować (i nawzajem)

Example – “At school in Norn Iron, everybody plays ‘catchy kissy’ so they do”.

Catch yerself on

Get a grip of yourself and sort yourself out
Ogarnij się

Example – “You need to catch yourself on so you do”.

Chip

Portion of French fries
Frytki

Example – “Whatty ye want?” / “Give us a chip please”.

Craic

Banter
Drażnić / żartować

Example – “It was quare craic so it was”.

Culchie

A cultural eejit and arguably unsophisticated country person, often from a farm near Cullybackey
Słoiki

Example – “See yer man there, he’s a culchie so he is”.

Dander

Stroll or aimless wander
Zbłądzić

Example – “I’ve had enough, I’m off on a wee dander so I am”.

Does yer ma know yer da?

Is your mother aware of who your father actually is?
Czy twoja matka wie kto cię spłodził?

Example “Look at the state of ye, does yer ma know yer da?”

Dog’s abuse

Very harsh abuse that you would only give to a dog, even though us Northern Irish love our dogs
Złe znęcanie się

Example – “I gave yer man dog’s abuse so I did”.

Down south (direct opposite is up north)

Republic of Ireland
Rezpublika Irlandia

Example – “Yer man went down south for his holidays so he did”.

Eleven Plus

An exam you take when you are 10/11 to determine which secondary school you will go to
Egzamin dla 11-latków

Example – “My wee lad is doing his eleven plus the day”.

E’s in the Rah

That gentleman is a member of the terrorist group called Irish Republican Army
On jest terrorystą z IRA

Example “E’s in the Rah so he is”.

E’s in the You Dee

That gentleman is a member of the terrorist group called Ulster Defence Association
On jest terrorystą z UDA

Example – “E’s in the You Dee so he is”.

E’s in the You Vee

That gentleman is a member of the terrorist group called Ulster Volunteer Force
On jest terrorystą z UVF

Example – “E’s in the You Vee so he is”.

Feel wick

To criticise someone and make them feel stupid
Zrobić kogoś w konia

Example “Bet you feel wick after you were snared with Buckie in yer carryon”.

Fleg

Flag
Flaga

Example – “Put yer fleg and yer tap intill yer beg and stop yer gurnin’ will ye”.

Fly nets

Park football term which means anyone on that team can be goalkeeper as long as only one goalkeeper touches the ball on any one attack intill the box
Każdy może być bramkarzem

Example – “It’s goal the winner and fly nets so it is”.

Fox Ache

For fuck sake
Kurwa

Example – “Fox ache Jimmy, close the windy, my balls are froze”.

Frostbit

Frostbite / hydrothermia
Odmrożenia i hipotermia

Example – “It’s minus 8 so it is, ye wouldn’t be long getting frostbit so ye wouldn’t”.

Fry up / Ulster fry

Northern Irish all day breakfast, unbeatable dish, essential and delicious
Tradycjnia dania z irlandii polnocnej

Example – “I’m starvin so I need a good fry up (Ulster fry) so I do”.

*Some Northern Irish people debate the correct ingredients. It can contain any of these, but preferably as big as possible. The photo below if my Mum’s fry up for me after I came home to Northern Ireland in 2014 for the first time in well over 2 years…

(potato bread, soda bread, veda bread, fried bread, wheaten bread, Cookstown sausages, bacon, tomatoes, eggs, black pudding, baked beans, mushrooms).

GAWA

Green and white army, Northern Ireland football supporters
Biało i zielony, kibice z Irlandii Północnej

Example – “Seen any GAWA in Lyon yet?”

Geg

A funny thing, person or situation
Zabawna osoba lub sytuacja

Example – You’re a geg so you are”.

Get ‘er bucked

Have sexual intercourse with that wonderful beautiful lady
Uprawiać seks z tą piękną dziewczyną

Example – “Wind the windy down and shout ‘get er bucked’ till yer woman”.

Get er lit

(this is proving difficult to translate…things are great, get things started, get things going, yeoo! etc. –  used often as a preulde to the more popular “keep er lit”)

Example – “Yeoo! Ger er lit”.

Gravy ring

Doughnut (with a hole in it)
Pączek (if it had a hole in it)

Example – “Away to Woolco and buy me a gravy ring”.

Gurnin’

Complaining, moaning, yapping
Narzekanie

Example – “Stop yer gurnin’ you”.

Hotpress

The room in a Northern Irish house or flat that has the boiler in it
Kotłownia

Example – “The towels are in the hot press so they are”.

Here’s me till im

I said to him (in response to something not major at all but you exaggerate it)
Powiedziałem mu

Here’s me till er

I said to her (in response to something not major at all but you exaggerate it)
Powiedziałem jej

Immersion

Home heating boiler system
Grzałka bojlera

Example – “What buck eejit left the immersion on?”

Intill

Into
W

Example – “Bate thon Ulster fry intill ye”.

Jamember?

Do you remember?
Pamiętasz?

Example – “Jamember thon time when yer man was lit”.

Lit

Drunk
Pijany

Example – “Jamember thon time when yer man was lit”.

In Nets

The goalkeeper
Bramkarz

Example – “Who’s in nets the day?” “Maik Taylor”.

Keep ‘er lit

Keep going
Tak trzymaj 

Example – “Keep ‘er lit mate”.

Norn Iron

Northern Ireland
Irlandia Północna

Example – “I’m from Norn Iron so I am”.

OWC (Our Wee Country, from a 1996 quote by Barry Hunter)

A term of endearment and love for Northern Ireland (our wee country)
Irlandia Północna (nasz mały kraj)

Example – (Barry Hunter, 1996) “What about our wee country”.

Par shar

Power shower
Prysznic wysokociśnieniowy

Example – “Have yous got a power shower at home?”

Passy shooty in

Northern Irish park football with one goalkeeper and one set of nets (or jumpers) whereby all other take turns to do crosses and passes to test the goalkeeper (but no tackling – opposite is “tackly shooty in”)
Piłka nożna bez walki, tylko testowanie bramkarza, na przyklad w parku

Example – “Wee Jimmy’s down the park playing passy shooty in so he is”.

Pelanty

Penalty kick (in football)
Rzut karny (piłka nożna)

Example – “It’s not fly nets so it’s not – that’s a pelanty so it is”.

Quare geg

Ridiculously funny person or situation
Bardzo zabawna osoba lub sytuacja

Example – “See yer man there, he is a quare geg so he is”.

Right

Time to go
Idziemy

Example – “Right finish those beers boys”.

Scundered

Fed up, annoyed, embarrassed mostly in a ridiculously Belfastic fashion
Zakłopotany

Example – “Wee Bobby had too much to drink and pulled his begs down in front of some auld doll, he was scundered so he was”.

See you (pointing the finger/getting angry)

You are an asshole and I am coming to get you
Nienawidzę cię

Example – “See you”.

Snared

Caught on doing something wrong
Przyłapać

Example – “yer man was well snared so he was”.

Snib 

Switch or latch to lock the inside of a Northern Irish door
Zatrzask

Example – “Did ye put the snib on Gerry?”

So it is

(just learn it and add it to almost every presently important sentence)

Example – “It’s a quare day. So it is”.

So I was/am

(just learn it and add it to almost every past tense story related sentence)

Example – “I was on the rip so I was”.

Spotty dog

Cool cool
Spoko

State of ye

Look at how ridiculous you look
Wyglądasz głupio

Example – “Sort yerself out, state of ye”.

Stop yer slabbering

Shut up or I’ll chin / hit ye
Zamknij się, albo/lub cię uderzę

Example – “Stop yer slabbering son or I’ll chin ye”.

Suckin diesel

Everything is going well now, but this happened suddenly and recently
Wystzko dobrze teraz, ale wcoraj nie bylo

Example – “Yer car’s up and running again Jimmy, now yer suckin’ diesel”.

Tackly shooty in

Northern Irish park football with one goalkeeper and one set of nets (or jumpers) whereby all other players fight it out to score and win (but no passing – opposite is “passy shooty in”)
Piłka nożna w parku kiedy jest tylko jeden bramkarz i wszyscy pilkarze walczą o zdobycie bramki

Example – “Wee Jimmy’s down the park playing tackly shooty in so he is”.

Tap

Football shirt
Koszulka (piłkarska)

Example – “Jimmy have you seen the new Norn Iron tap yet? It’s beezer so it is”.

Tayto

The best crisps in the world / short for potato
Najlepsze chipsy w świecie

Example – “I love Tayto cheese and onion so I do”.

That There

That item or thing located in that position (we use this a lot in Northern Ireland!!)
Ten rzecz (this is probably wrong, no idea how to describe it)

Example – “See that there?”

The Day

Today
Dzisiaj

Example – “I’m goin till Castle Court the day so I am”.

The Morra

Tomorrow
Jutro

Example – “I’m goin till Barry’s the morra”.

Thingy

(That person I forgot the name of)

Example – “Is thingy goin’ till the Norn Iron game the day?”

Thingymajig

(That thing I forgot the name of)

Example – “Here you, can you pass me thon thingymajig?”

Thon

That exact one that we speak of
Ten / ta / to

Example – “Pass me thon beer will ye?”

Till

To / towards
Do

Example – “He’s gone till thon park”.

Town

The City Centre
Śródmieście

Example – “Does this bus go intill town?”

Ulster’s Number One

The best footballer for the Northern Ireland team on the pitch
Artur Boruc

Example – “Artur Boruc, Ulster’s number one”.

Waddyacaller?

(What is that lady’s name, because I forget?)

Waddyacallim?

(What is that gentleman’s name, because I forget?)

What’s he /she out of?

What television show or film was that person starring in?
W jakim serialu jest aktorem?

Example – “I recognise yer man there, what’s he out of?”

Wheaker

Splendid, excellent, marvellous
Swietnie

Example – “Marty have ye seen the new Glens tap? It’s wheaker so it is”.

Wick

Crap/rubbish
Złe / zły / zła

Example – “Take the number 7 off, he’s wick so he is”.

Windy

Window
Okno

Example – “Fox ache Jimmy close the windy, I’m cauld so I am”.

Woolco

Defunct shopping centre name in the town of Newtownards (yes I still call it that)
Galeria Newtowards (Centrum Handlowe w Newtownardsa)

Example – “Yer man’s off till Woolco to get a gravy ring so he is”.

Yappin

Complaining, moaning, gurning
Narzekanie

Example – “Stop yer yappin you”.

Yeoo!

(it just doesn’t translate into English or Polish)

Example – “get in there yeoo!”

Yer Man

That man who we are both aware of

Yer Woman

That woman who we are both aware of

Yer Havin me on

You are joking – kidding me
Żartujesz

Example – “Larne won the League? Yer havin’ me on so ye are”.

If there are any Northern Irish slang words or phrases you feel I have left out of mis-interpreted or wrongly translated, please either comment below, comment on the Facebook post or email me – jonny [at] dontstopliving [dot] net and I’ll update the post!

Happy learning Northern Irish “spake”!