Irish Culture, Idioms, and Modern Slang Vocabulary

A collection of flashcards detailing traditional Irish cultural terms, idiomatic English expressions, and contemporary slang based on the lecture transcript.

handfasting

A ceremony involving the 'tying of hands' which serves as a symbol of marriage.

Claddagh ring

An Irish marriage ring representing love, loyalty, and friendship.

céilí

A traditional Irish group dance.

bodhrán

A type of Irish drum.

omen

A sign or portent of a future event.

Irish stew

A traditional Irish dish.

Guinness toast

A toast made with or dedicated to a specific drink.

wedding bells

Bells rung at a wedding to ward off evil spirits.

Gaelic blessing

A traditional Irish blessing.

procession

A solemn or ceremonial march or parade.

to do the math

To put two and two together or compare and correlate information.

to be a long shot

An unlikely event or outcome with very little chance of success.

to lose one's mojo

To lose one's inspiration, charisma, or 'gut feeling'.

to touch base

To call or contact someone to catch up.

the lay of the land

The current state of affairs, the environment, or the general picture of a situation.

to reheat one’s nachos

To repeat after someone, copy someone, or finish off something someone else started.

pity party

An instance of indulging in excessive self-pity.

to do smth by the skin of one’s teeth

To barely manage to do something or to succeed by a miracle.

to lollygag

To loiter, hang around aimlessly, or fool around.

clout

Authority, influence, or social media 'hype'.

Seamless

Literally 'without seams'; figuratively describes something that went smoothly or without problems.

jomo/romo

Joy / relief of missing out.

to leverage

To use something to your own advantage.

to iterate

To improve something through repetition and feedback.

to curate

To select and organize a collection, such as music or a social media feed.

Bandwidth

Emotional capacity, strength, or energy (e.g., 'I don't have the bandwidth for drama').

to be on the ball

To be quick, well-informed, attentive, or keeping a finger on the pulse.

to go out on a limb

To take a risk, put oneself in a vulnerable position, or take responsibility.

to be up to one's ears

To be very busy or 'up to one's neck' in tasks.

to rock the boat

To disturb the peace, cause trouble, or say something that upsets others.

to take down a peg

To humble someone, put them in their place, or moderate their pride.

to be wet behind the ears

To be inexperienced, 'green', or very young.

Mint

Cool, great, or high-quality.

Taking the piss

Laughing at or mocking someone.

Gobsmacked

Extremely surprised or astonished.

Bollocks

An exclamation of dissatisfaction or annoyance, similar to 'damn' or 'crap'.

Bruh

A casual term for a brother, friend, or 'dude'.

Shook

Surprised or shaken up.

Sitch

A shortened form of the word 'situation'.

To tread lightly

To act carefully or be on one's guard.

To be dead to rights

To be caught red-handed with no way to deny it.

To play someone like a fiddle

To manipulate someone or play on their feelings.

To cash out

To withdraw cash or exit a business/deal with one's money.

To peddle smth

To sell something, often illegally or aggressively.

Wonder bread

Something tasteless, formulaic, or bland.

To break bad

To turn to a life of crime or 'go off the deep end'.

To throw someone under the bus

To set someone up or shift the blame onto another person.

To move the goalposts

To change the rules or conditions of a situation while it is in progress.

To live in an ivory tower

To be detached or out of touch with reality.

For the birds

Nonsense, rubbish, or something considered useless.

To be in the doldrums

To be in a state of depression, stagnation, or decline.

Cherry-pick

To choose only the best, most advantageous, or most convenient options.

To screw up

To mess up, make a mistake, or ruin something.

To scooch

To move over or squeeze in to make room (e.g., on a sofa).

From soup to nuts

From the very beginning to the very end.

emotional rollercoaster

A situation characterized by many rapid mood swings or emotional changes.

peel the onion

To examine or explain something in great detail, layer by layer.

To get back at smb

To take revenge on or punish someone.

To dump smb

To break up with or leave a romantic partner.

slop

Low-quality content, commonly referring to AI-generated material.

yap/yapper

To talk incessantly or a person who talks too much.

lock in

To concentrate, focus, or pull oneself together.

mid

Average, mediocre, or unexceptional.

glazing

Excessive praise or adoration of someone.

to cast aspersions on smth

To criticize or attack the reputation of something.

the be-all and end-all of smth

The most important or essential part of something.

to harp on about smth

To repeat the same thing endlessly.

in a pinch

In an emergency or as a last resort.

to push the envelope

To go beyond the current limits of what is possible; to do something new and bold.