all-purpose intensifier. can mean 'very', 'damned', or just emphasis. slots into any sentence to add feeling. the apostrophe is mandatory — nobody in barrytown has ever said the g.

the swiss army knife of dublin slang. positive or negative depending entirely on tone.

brilliant, excellent, the highest possible compliment. nothing to do with death. if something's deadly it's the best thing that's happened all week.

universal dublin slang. works for music, food, weather, people, anything worth praising.

house, home, place. where you live. a free gaff means the parents are away and the possibilities are endless.

universal dublin slang across all classes, though it hits different on the northside.

stop it, you're being ridiculous, i don't believe you. the polite version of telling someone to shut up. can be affectionate or exasperated depending on how many times you've had to say it.

essential barrytown conflict resolution. somewhere between a dismissal and an invitation to try harder.

extremely good, impressive, significant. not about physical size. your team wins, that's massive. your mate gets you a pint, that's massive. the scale of the goodness is what's being described.

close cousin of 'deadly'. can be used for events, achievements, or just really good chips.

girlfriend, young woman. from the irish 'maith' meaning good. it's affectionate, not derogatory — your mot is your partner, the person you're seeing.

deeply northside dublin. the southside equivalent would probably involve fewer syllables and more self-consciousness.

brilliant, excellent. younger cousin of 'deadly'. implies something exciting and a bit thrilling — like the thing itself moved fast enough to take your breath away.

particularly strong in football contexts. a rapid goal, a rapid save, a rapid counter-attack.

mortified, deeply embarrassed. the kind of embarrassment that starts in your stomach and works its way up to your face. 'i was scarlet' means the ground should have opened up and swallowed you whole.

jimmy sr. spends most of the snapper being scarlet. it's practically his character arc.

look at yourself. an assessment of someone's appearance, behaviour, or life choices, and it's never a compliment. sometimes affectionate, mostly devastating.

dublin's most efficient form of criticism. three words that contain an entire review.

boy, young man, lad. also used by parents to refer to their sons regardless of age. your ma will call you 'the young fella' when you're forty-five.

paired with 'young one' (young woman). age is relative — context decides whether they're twelve or thirty.