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How till spake Norn Iron (A Guide to Belfast Phrases)

As the old saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" and it's pretty much the same here in Belfast.

There's no better way to get to know the city and its people than to mingle with the locals and engage in a bit of light-hearted 'banter'.

So if you want to know the difference between a minger and a munter or why tea is different from tae, just consult our guide to Belfast phrases - 'How till spake Norn Iron' - and you'll be talking the talk before you know it...big lad!

* "Just a note to say thanks for the comments and suggestions, keep them coming! - Ed."

A is for...
Ach: A regional word that's usually placed at the start of a sentence. “Ach go on.”, “Ach you know?”
Arse: Bottom, bum. “A kick up the arse.”
Ascared: Combination of the words afraid and scared. “I'm ascared of heights.”
Aye: Yes. “Aye, I'll have a pint if you're buying.”
 
B is for...
Bake: Mouth/face. “Shut your bake”, “Look at the bake on her”
Banjaxed: Broken. “Darling, the bog is banjaxed, call a plumber”
Banter: Craic, fun chatter. “Let's go for a pint and some banter”
Beezer: Good, fantastic “Your new car is beezer mate.” (Rosemary – London)
Big Lad: A robust young gentleman. “Alright big lad?”
Bout Ye!: Greeting, How are you? “Bout ye big lad, let's go for a swall.” (Glenn Kelly – Belfast)

C is for...
C' mere: A command. “Come here”
Catch yourself on!: An expression, translated as “Get a hold of yourself!”, “Wise up!”
Clinker: Similar to Beezer. “My new bike is clinker.” (Eimear – Belfast/Glasgow)
Coupan: Face. “Look at the state of the coupan on yer woman.” (Eimear – Belfast/Glasgow)
Cracker: Good. “That restaurant was cracker”
Craic: Fun, to have a good time. “The craic is mighty lads, get the beers in”

D is for...
Da: Father. “I seen your Da in the pub last night”
Dander: Walk. “Lets go for a dander”
Dead-On: Good, decent, alright. “I like him, he's dead-on”
Does my head in: Expression. Someone who really annoys you. “That dipso does my head in”

E is for...
Eejit : An Idiot. “You are an eejit”

F is for...
Faffin': Messing around, acting an eejit. “Stop faffin' around and do some work”
Fegs: Cigarettes. “Can I have twenty fegs and a can of coke?”
Fiddle: A Violin. “Get that fiddle out and let's have a sing-song”
Fire: Throw. “I was out firing stones at the peelers”

G is for...
Grand: Good. “That's grand, I'll see you at half-eleven”
Gub: Mouth. “I've got a sore gub”
Guddies: Trainers. “Look at my belter new guddies”

H is for...
Haul: Hold. “Your man can't haul his beer”, “Haul my jacket”
Hoak: Rummage. “That wee man hoaks through the bins”
Hole: Bottom, Bum. “Get your lazy hole out of bed and go to work”
Hoop: Bum, bottom. “That child has a face like my hoop”

I is for...
I tell a lie: Expression, meaning you've made an error. “I tell a lie, I do remember who you father is”
I'll do you!: Expression, meaning you're in big trouble. “I'll knock you out big-lad”, “You're going to receive a thump”
Is that you?: Regional question. “Are you finished?”, “Are you ready?”
Is your head cut?: Expression, meaning are you wise? “Why did you buy a chocolate fire guard, is your head cut?”

J is for...
Jammie: Lucky. “That jammie sod just won the lottery”
Jam Jar: Slang. Car. “I've bought a brand new jam jar”
Jaunty: Tracksuit wearing moron, usually found loitering outside shopping centres with nowhere else to go. May also be sporting a bum-fluff moustache.

K is for...
Keepin' Dick: Keeping Lookout. “Keep-dick for me while I rob this jewellers”
Kex: Underwear. “I have to go a buy new kex for my honeymoon”
Kilty-Caul-Bum: Expression/song, meaning Kilty-cold-bottom, a Scottish gentleman with no underwear. “One for me and one for you and one for kilty-caul-bum”

L is for...
Lamped: Punched. “I lamped yer man after he called me a nasty name”
Lamps: Eyes. “I cried my lamps out”, “I got my lamps punched last night”
Lump: Lazy, “Get out of bed you big lump and get a job”
Lifted: Arrested. “Wee Stevie got lifted by the peelers last night”

M is for...
Ma: Mother. “How's your Ma?”
Melter: An annoying person who gets on your nerves. “That wee girl is a melter.” (Rosemary – London)
Minger: Ugly, an unattractive person. “You're such a minger”
Munter: An unattractive woman dressed inappropriately for her age and covered in fake tan. "Yer Ma's a munter"
Mucker: Mate, pal. “Alright mucker, fancy a pint?”

N is for...
Naff: Stupid, crap. “Your new car is naff”
Neb: Nose. “Yer man has some neb on him, it's massive”
Norn Iron: Slang/dialect. Northern Ireland. “I hope Norn Iron win the World Cup”
Nuck: Steal. “I didn't nuck your milk”

O is for...
Offie: Off Licence. “Let's go to the offie and buy some beer”
Oul: Old. “This pub is really oul”
Oul-Doll: Old Lady. “That oul-doll looks like your Ma”
Oul-Lad: Old Man. “That oul-lad lives up our street”

P is for...
Pastie-Lip: Someone with a big bottom lip. “Here comes pastie-lip with his new girlfriend”
Peelers: Police. “The peelers do my head in”
Poke: Ice-Cream. “Ma, can I have a poke with sprinkles on it?”
Pull: Go on a romantic conquest, usually on a Friday and Saturday night at a disco. “Right, pass my aftershave, I'm going on the pull tonight”

R is for...
Ragein': Angry, fuming. “£15 for a taxi, I was ragein'!” (Anna - Belfast)
Ratten: Rotting, disgusting. “Those prawns were ratten”
Reddener: Embarrassed. “I took an awful reddener when I fell off my chair”
Right: Assertive, usually applied at the start of a sentence. “Right, I'm away home for my tea”
Runner: Run away, flee with speed. “Here come the peelers, let's do a runner!”

S is for...
Scundered: Embarrassed. “Look at yer man's trousers, I'm scundered for 'em!” (Anna - Belfast)
Sound: Dead on, easy going. “Yer Da is sound”
Spake: Pronunciation - Speak. “Shut up and let me spake”
Spuds: Potatoes. “Get the spuds on love, I'm starvin'”
Stickin' Out!: Fantastic! “I'm stickin' out big lad and how are you?”

T is for...
Tae: Pronunciation - Tea. “Put the kette on and we'll have a cup of tae”
Tea: Dinner. “Jimmy, your tea is ready”
Tele: Belfast Telegraph, a Belfast newspaper. “Give me the Tele and a packet of crisps”
Till: To. “Are you coming till the shops?”

V is for...
Veda: Malted bread native to Northern Ireland. Lovely with some butter and cheese.

W is for...
Wee: Small. Used by every single Northern Irish person.  “Have a wee bun”, “Would you like a wee bag?”
What about ye?: Greeting. “How are you?”
Wick: Stupid, useless. “That new Glentoran kit is wick”
Windee: Window. “Someone broke my windee”

Y is for...
Ya: You. “Ya look like my Ma”
Yarn: Talk. “I had a good yarn with your Ma”
Yer: You're. “Yer my best mate”
Youse: You Lot. “Youse keep the noise down, I'm trying to sleep!”




How till spake Norn Iron (A Guide to Belfast Phrases) comments

  • 27

    February

    2010
    Conor - Belfast

    Splas - feet - as in 'look at the size of his splas they're massive!Begs - trousersMonks - underpantsSlegging (verb)- making fun of something or someone



  • 24

    January

    2010
    HS -

    Ate it all up - as in "eat your dinner dear boy"



  • 20

    January

    2010
    Christine - Culchie land up down

    Ganet: Eating everything, greedy f**k. Steek/Spide: corsa driving kappa wearing lad. Hallion:scamp, mischevious scallywag: "He's a wee hallion so he is". Dote: Lovely, nice person: "Thon ba's a dote".
  • 29

    December

    2009
    Katie - Belfast

    Beamer - a huge cheesy smile and red cheeks when you're embarassed haha.



  • 19

    December

    2009
    John Fitzsimmons - Belfast

    Weaker - Brilliant... "did ye see Healys goal against Spain? It was a weaker!"



  • 16

    December

    2009
    Cathy -

    hows about kebs for feet? i.e. smell yer dirty kebs mate



  • 10

    December

    2009
    Graeme - Kilkeel

    Naaaaaaahhhh baiiii. Do youse know how many beans makes five? Bois oh.



  • 09

    December

    2009
    May - Belfast

    Scundered means fed up in some parts of Norn Iron! Think you needa fix that 'un.



  • 24

    November

    2009
    Sophia - Derry

    stoke - n. a thief, or annoying individual; v. to steal/borrow something. 'Let me stoke your pen a minute.'afeared - similar to ascared (but better). 'I'm not afeared ey you hi, big man!'baltic - feckin freezingbeamer- similar to reddener, but up a notch on the sun scale.tinkers - people of the travelling community/ gypsies or gypos-more slang.
  • 21

    October

    2009
    jamesy - carrickfergus

    what about "i will batter your mate"As in i will kick the s***e out of your mate Great list had a good laugh



  • 12

    September

    2009
    Megan -

    You forgot the almighty 'quere' as in "thats a quere bake ya got on ye there, so it is"And "AM I TE F**K?!"/"WILL I BY F**K""Stop yer blatherin"'Heifer' a young cow, also a big boned girl "Shes a right heifer so she is!""Big Milly""Took a beamer" - Get embarassed'Gawk' as in to stare:D Hope that helps x
  • 09

    September

    2009
    Ryan - belfast

    mon til - come on get her bucked - have sexual relations with that woman Baltic - cold U.T.H. - Up the hoods Hoods - Hoodlums



  • 26

    August

    2009
    Dante - belfast

    Don't forget the classic reaction to somethin odd, "Here's me wha?!" Or there's conversation indicators when telling a of a previous incident. "Here I be's, here be's him, here be's her to me"



  • 26

    August

    2009
    Peter - Belfast

    what about slabberin and slaggin as in "you slabberin/slaggin wee boy?"



  • 13

    August

    2009
    Leah - Bangor

    you've missed out 'so it is'- every person in the country adds that on to a sentence i.e ''its cold so it is'' lol x



  • 30

    July

    2009
    Donna -

    Don't forget swanky - "that new coat's dead swanky, so it is" "ach, away on, sure it's just a wee scrap from yer man down the market, and it's a wee bit tight 'roun' the oxters as well!" and my Mum's favourite - "would youse give ma head peace or I'll belt you one across the lug hole?"
  • 30

    July

    2009
    Ryan - Bergen

    What about, 'your man' as in ''look at your man over there staggering about the street''. or a mix with:''somebody not wise' meaning someone stupid, as in ''look at your man staggering about over there in the street like somebody not wise''The phrase 'whispering in your own ear' as in ''get that wee boy to speak up, sure he's whispering in his own ear!'' to speak quietly.There are also the classics: 'give ma head (or heid) piece' as in ''woman, will ye not give ma heid piece!'' to stop badgering or interferring and of course 'fry' as in after a night out in Belfast ''sure ma heids near killin me, i could do with a big ol' fry'', for the ultster national breakfast meal...***all inspired by my dear mum from Belfast now living near Larne.
  • 19

    July

    2009
    Louise - Bangor

    What about "Nah" as in No or "Hat" as in he's a good looking guy.



  • 20

    June

    2009
    Liam - Larne

    Your hed's a marlie. Your head is a big marble, empty,(Belfast)Your a big scunner. You are like a big herring gull gobbling everything in a disgusting way, disgusting manners or person(Larne)I'll break your windies. I will break your windows(Belfast)
  • 06

    June

    2009
    Eimear - Belfast/Glasgow

    Coupan (as in bake), or clinker (amazing)?







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