We’ve been round the houses with our Dialect Dictionary and today we see what they say up north as we take a look at some Donegal slang…
We’ve already looked at what the langers in Cork have to say, along with the bhoys out Wesht and the chung-fellas in Dublin even had two Dialect Dictionaries dedicated to them (here and here), so we’ve decided to head to Donegal for a wee gander at what the lads up north have to say.
Donegal, it’s the home of the current All-Ireland Football champions, Jim McGuinness, Malin Head and of course, Daniel O’Donnell. One thing it’s probably not too well known for, however, is the quality of its slang. So here’s a few typically Irish slang words and phrases that you’d find being uttered on any number of Letterkenny’s streets.
Your aul doll
‘Your aul doll’ simply translates to your ‘mother’.
Yes boy
‘Yes boy’ or ‘Ye boy’ is used between two Donegal friends upon greeting each other. Basically, it can be used instead of saying ‘hello’.
Wrapped more times than a bad Christmas present
This classic saying means that something (e.g. a car) is broken or beyond repair unless some seriously questionable work is done.
Dry up
‘Dry up’ is a slightly nicer way of telling someone to shut up. ‘Ah would you dry up’.
Cat
‘Cat’ means, well, bad. You can use any number of four letter words to describe what ‘cat’ means to a Donegal man, but we sadly can’t use any of them here, so we won’t. ‘Isn’t the weather “cat” today.’
Suckin’ Diesel
‘Suckin’ Diesel’ refers to something moving forward. Whether it’s a situation or a vehicle, if it’s moving smoothly or at great speed then ‘you’re suckin’ diesel, boy’.
Clean rotten
Clean rotten is the Donegal way of saying someone was extremely drunk. ‘Jaysus boy, you were clean rotten last night’.
