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- Apps and Players from My Tour Talk
- Need some medical attention?
- NI's Top Spa and Golf Resorts
- An Englishman in Norn Iron
- Belfast Visitor Pass
- NI Public Holidays
- Festival of Colours
- Belfast webcams
- Troubles Tourism
- Northern Ireland Facts and Figures
- Where to find Belfast In Your Pocket
- ULSTERBUS DAYTOURS - Rosapenna & Atlantic Drive, Donegal
- ULSTERBUS DAYTOURS - Devenish Island and Enniskillen
- Scenic Ireland photographic book
- ULSTERBUS DAYTOURS - Belleek, Bundoran and Sligo Town.
- Frock Around The Clock Decadence Vintage Fairs
- Belfast Children's Festival
- Belfast In Your Pocket in iPaper
- Belfast FASHIONWEEK
- Belfast Murals
- A Welcome from the Lord Mayor
- 31st Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon
- Haunted Belfast
- Ulster History Circle: Local legends on a wall
- NI by Railway: BELFAST - NEWRY
- How till spake Norn Iron (A guide to local phrases)
- NI by Railway: BELFAST-DERRY
- St. Patrick's Festival in Downpatrick
- Belfast's St. Patrick's Day Celebrations
- 8th Belfast Nashville Songwriters® Festival
- Ask us anything... seriously.
- Spending a penny
- NI by Railway: BELFAST-BANGOR
- NI by Railway: BELFAST-LARNE HARBOUR
- The Plantation of Ulster
- A Brief History of Belfast
- Ethnic Belfast
- Art In The City
- Robert Burns - the Belfast connection
- Belfast's Quarters
- On the Presidential Trail
- The Twelfth and the Orange Order
- Tracing Your Roots
- Will the real St. Patrick please stand up?
- George Best 1946-2005
- Belfast Public Art: Not a Mural in Sight
- Local Food & Gastro Tourism
- Belfast Media
- Belfast's Gay Scene
More features:
-
Belfast In Your Pocket in iPaper
... -
Local Food & Gastro Tourism
Most of Northern Ireland's traditional dishes have their roots in potatoes and bread. This simple peasant fare has endured amid a profusion of fusion cuisine and contemporary twists.... -
Where to find Belfast In Your Pocket
The latest issue of Belfast In Your Pocket is generally available at the following fabulous locations.... -
Will the real St. Patrick please stand up?
Many myths and legends surround the world's best known patron saint. But what is known about the real life of the saint they call Patrick? Patrick was from Bannavem Taberniae, a 5th Century Roman Briton settlement.... -
The Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster is considered a controversial period in our history, leading, ultimately, to the partition and subsequent strife of Ireland (check out the comprehensive video below).... -
Art In The City
Always eager to showcase local creative talent, we've put together what we consider to be the city's most artistic hotspots.... -
Belfast Visitor Pass
The Belfast Visitor Pass helps you explore more of the city and save money into the bargain. The Pass is available for adults and children, and covers one, two or three days.... -
Need some medical attention?
On holiday, visiting Belfast or just here on business and need to see a doctor? Kingsbridge Private Hospital offers a ‘walk in’ Private GP Service and Minor Injuries Unit run by a team of highly experienced consultants and specialist nurses.... -
ULSTERBUS DAYTOURS - Rosapenna & Atlantic Drive, Donegal
Local travel writer COLIN McALPIN heads way out west as he continues his Ulsterbus Daytours travels. This time it's Rosapenna & Atlantic Drive, Donegal.... -
On the Presidential Trail
They may have been born in the USA, but an astounding 17 out of the 43 US Presidents can claim some form of Irish ancestry.... -
NI by Railway: BELFAST-DERRY
THE HISTORYNorthern Ireland's modern railway system may be small, but it is an excellent one.... -
Troubles Tourism
A trip to Belfast and N. Ireland isn't without its curiosity value. We're talking 'The Troubles' - that quaintly named period of our history from the late '60s to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement when political conflict was at its height.... -
Belfast FASHIONWEEK
Style gurus and trend-setters rejoice - West Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK is back from Wed 14 - Sun 18 March with its 13th fabulous season....
How till spake Norn Iron (A guide to local 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'.
Our A-Z online guide to speaking the local lingo has attracted the most comments by far. So if you want to know the difference between a minger and a munter or why tea is different from tae, or add your suggestions, just consult '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!”
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'.
Our A-Z online guide to speaking the local lingo has attracted the most comments by far. So if you want to know the difference between a minger and a munter or why tea is different from tae, or add your suggestions, just consult '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!”
givin it 90 givin it stacks givin it rice -> trying your hardest
Clod hoppers -big feet
up the duff or preggers - pregnant
Gaff- yer house rents- parents (mother and father) Menk- disgusting
Sicken ye - That annoys you
"See you? Here's me! What about ya?" translates as "Hello. How are you?"
Geg! - You're a quare turn so ya are!
Does anyone remember nyurked meaning annoyed as it 'its bin nyurkin' me all day what that songs called'.
"Steek Spide" - a male millie someone (back in the day) who wore shellsuits and generally had a bum-fluff 'tache!
Doesn't 'scundered' mean 'done for'? That's the context I normally use it in... As in "I broke all them windees playin' footie" "You're scundered mate you eejit."
Wee buns - easy' right there lads? - how are you gentalmen?Do your windees in - smash your windowsSaunter on clear off - go awayBuck eejit - IdiotYer man - That bloke
Remember this one - - Sez he ti me "Was thon you?" Sez I "Who?" Sez he "You!" Sez I "Me?" Sez he "Yes." Sez I "no!"
Claud - to throw - hey yous quit your claudin at them peelers
Are ye gittin?Shop Assistant spake for 'Are you being served?'
qwere (that's a qwere difference)