Great Galway sayings

mathepac · 07-10-2010 10:28am

threeleggedhors wrote: »

... they say "I'm going doing something this evening" ...

Not specifically a Galway saying. My grandparents used this. term; neither had any Galway connections

threeleggedhors wrote: »

... "Shtop the lights" is one I hear alot too

Not a Galway saying. It comes from the old Quicksilver quiz programme on the B&W telly.

Starie1975 · 07-10-2010 11:50am

Alright a Mhac.

Greaney · 07-10-2010 1:45pm

I'm suprised only one person has posted 'on the shift'!!

Are ya on the shift tonight? or 'She shifted yer man last night', basically, it ment kissing/snogging and to be 'on the shift' was to be looking for an oul kiss when clubbing.

Here's one heard on the castlepark bus back in the mid eighties by a mate of mine... 'I'll split yer head and use ya as a trocaire box!!', another term used during that tirade was 'I'll put yer head in me pocket!', I haven't heard it since ... except when my mates and I are messing.

My young fella says 'yer alright' when declining ...eg. 'Would you like a cup of tea?', 'yer alright', translation... 'I'm fine and I'll decline your offer'

Does anyone remember when we called Goths 'Pookies'.?

inisboffin · 07-10-2010 4:50pm

Colloquialisms are so fluid now, we'd have to be specific in how long ago something originated in an area.

Shift is a great one Greaney! But shift is heard in Dublin too, the Dublin 'shift' usually meant going a bit further than the Galway shift!:p

All the words with 'een' are from the Irish, and although loveen is heard in other places, you'd hear it most in Galway.

Fuinseog · 07-10-2010 7:25pm

Starie1975 wrote: »

Alright a Mhac.

the Connies say this this alll the time, although gramtically speaking it should be a mhic. not necessarily unique to galway. the americans adopted it as mack.

Fuinseog · 07-10-2010 7:28pm

[. As I say, before "your time" the spanish arch and the claddagh were not automatically associated with buckfast and drink. It used to be quite a classy place, before the booze brains took it over

[/QUOTE]

the claddagh and the poirse caoch area were slums. the claddagh vilage posed a major health risk and TB was rife around the spannish arch

Starie1975 · 07-10-2010 7:45pm

Fuinseog wrote: »

the Connies say this this alll the time, although gramtically speaking it should be a mhic. not necessarily unique to galway. the americans adopted it as mack.

Connies don't say "this this" and are you correcting my Irish :rolleyes:

?Cee?view · 07-10-2010 8:17pm

Fuinseog wrote: »

[. As I say, before "your time" the spanish arch and the claddagh were not automatically associated with buckfast and drink. It used to be quite a classy place, before the booze brains took it over

the claddagh and the poirse caoch area were slums. the claddagh vilage posed a major health risk and TB was rife around the spannish arch[/QUOTE]

Classy; I missed that - that's Gas!

There were tenements in behind the Spanish Arch, along much of Flood Street, and on the lower part of Middle Street. Claddagh of course was flattened in the 30s or 40s - dunno which off hand.

Poirse Caoch - funny how some translate the Spanish Arch as that, whereas others would recognise the Blind Arch as the blocked one to the right.

ciaranmac · 07-10-2010 8:58pm

Can't believe this thread has gone 9 pages and nobody mentioned well wear, buckled/twishted/warped, or sick as a small hospital. Or were they all on a page I missed by mistake?

mathepac · 07-10-2010 10:10pm

ciaranmac wrote: »

... well wear, buckled/twishted/warped, or sick as a small hospital. ...

Not unique to Galwah IME a mhaceen

threeleggedhors · 08-10-2010 1:50pm

mathepac wrote: »

Not unique to Galwah IME a mhaceen

mathepac, you keep saying all these quotes are not unique to Galway, that may be true but neither me nor the mrs. ever heard them until we came to Galway so as far as we're concerned they're Galway sayings

nuac · 09-10-2010 2:47pm

most of sayings quoted are heard all over Ireland.

some are travellers' cant.

civis_liberalis · 09-10-2010 2:48pm

Starie1975 wrote: »

Alright a Mhac.

That's Conamara a mhac

Bazzo · 10-10-2010 5:44pm

Pretty much all of these aren't unique to Galway, I'm fairly sure that nowadays you'll hear a hodge podge of sayings from all around the country in Galway. Probably to do with the big student population.

mrsdewinter · 10-10-2010 7:20pm

threeleggedhors wrote: »

mathepac, you keep saying all these quotes are not unique to Galway, that may be true but neither me nor the mrs. ever heard them until we came to Galway so as far as we're concerned they're Galway sayings

Really? You never heard "I'm going doing that job tonight"? I'm pretty sure it's not confined to Galway.
And "Stop the lights" is a generational one. If your parents were around in the 70s, they definitely will have heard it in the context of a phrase popularised by Bunny Carr, was it? By the early 80s, schoolchildren were still saying it - and I know that because I was a schoolgirl.
I think this thread is becoming a catalogue of "phrases I never heard until I left home and had to live with people outside my socio-economic class /family circle".

Andrea B. · 10-10-2010 7:58pm

"givusyurodds! "

inisboffin · 10-10-2010 8:22pm

Andrea B. wrote: »

"givusyurodds! "

Old Dublin afaik

thesandeman · 10-10-2010 8:43pm

I and many other locals still call the Q bridge 'the new bridge'. I know its not technicaly a saying but its definitely unique to Galway.

Andrea B. · 10-10-2010 8:46pm

Old Dublin afaik

Very prevalent in Galway in 80's and said in parelle with n****r tapping your pockets.

evil_seed · 11-10-2010 9:18am

10 pages in and not one mention of "Ya won't feel it til the races". Followed by "Sure once the races are over you're ****ed"

Others: Gomie, beure, goin for a bottle.

Thats all for now off th etop of my head

dolphin city · 11-10-2010 10:20am

thesandeman wrote: »

I and many other locals still call the Q bridge 'the new bridge'. I know its not technicaly a saying but its definitely unique to Galway.

very true.

yeehaw · 11-10-2010 10:48am

A thread full to the brim of absolute nonsense.

Jamey · 11-10-2010 1:11pm

evil_seed wrote: »

10 pages in and not one mention of "Ya won't feel it til the races". Followed by "Sure once the races are over you're ****ed"

Others: Gomie, beure, goin for a bottle.

Thats all for now off th etop of my head

Gomie, beure, as said before are primarily Tuam words.

How can 'goin for a bottle' be a Galway saying?

Seems just like a general phrase to describe drinking a bottle of alcohol in the future tense, which I'm sure would be used by all who speak the English language.

gazza99 · 11-10-2010 1:50pm

gomie. lol brings back memories.lol

Starie1975 · 11-10-2010 3:10pm

Heard this one at lunch time today, one fella was describing the small stature of a hurler he saw playing yesterday.

"You'd find bigger legs in a snack box!"

Mrs OBumble · 11-10-2010 3:10pm

Jamey wrote: »

How can 'goin for a bottle' be a Galway saying?
Seems just like a general phrase to describe drinking a bottle of alcohol in the future tense, which I'm sure would be used by all who speak the English language.

Perhaps only in the more alcohol-infused cultures ...

Tomebagel · 11-10-2010 6:02pm

Jamey wrote: »

Gomie, beure, as said before are primarily Tuam words.

How can 'goin for a bottle' be a Galway saying?
Seems just like a general phrase to describe drinking a bottle of alcohol in the future tense, which I'm sure would be used by all who speak the English language.

The thread says 'Great Galway sayings'.

Tuam is in Galway.

goin for a bottle o' b

inisboffin · 11-10-2010 6:25pm

Andrea B. wrote: »

Very prevalent in Galway in 80's and said in parelle with n****r tapping your pockets.

Yep, definitely heard in Dublin decades before that, and regularly used there by kids asking for money from a parent or older sibling. I actually suspect it may be Victorian.

Jamey · 11-10-2010 10:18pm

Tomebagel wrote: »

The thread says 'Great Galway sayings'.

In the 'Galway City' board...... :rolleyes:

Great Galway sayings

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