In The Blarney Stone and The Gift of the Gab I talked about the gift of eloquence and the difference between the right and almost right word. Visiting Ireland with two Britons I was aware of the differences in our languages. Of course we have the Irish language Gaelige or Gaelic but we also have our version or dialect of English. Here are some of the differences:
- eejit = idiot
- press = cupboard
- craic = fun
- yoke = thing
- haymes = mess
- runners = trainers
- gowl = silly person
- banjaxed = broken
- give out = tell off/chastise
- sliced pan = sliced loaf
While some of these words like 'craic' have been derived from English words other words in the English language have been derived from Irish such as 'boycott' and 'bog'. However my favourite one is the word 'Tory', considered by the Oxford Dictionary to be derived from the 17th Century Irish word toraidhe meaning outlaw or highwayman.
There's no more to say.
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