Top 10 Irish Phrases Most Regular People Don't Understand

Let’s face it; these Irish phrases seem quite apparent to most of you reading. But have you ever been to a foreign country and asked: “where’s the JAX!?” and been met with confusion?

Don’t worry, you are not alone. These are the most common Irish phrases that we use.

If you can think of any be sure to comment below.

Top 10 Irish phrases most regular people don’t understand:

Where’s the Jax!? – This means where is the toilet. So the next time you see a friendly Irish man/woman asking for the Jax be sure to point them in the right direction.
Cop on ya, eejit! – This is a double-edged phrase. Cop on can be used in on its own literally meaning to stop being silly or stop messing around. Then you add the word Eejit; it means idiot. Although a more light-hearted version that idiot. Like a nice idiot haha. So you are basically saying stop what you are doing you idiot(but in a nice way)
That’s Gas! – The next time an Irish person says this Irish phrase to you they mean that what you have just said is funny. Or a particular situation is funny.
Craic – Ah sure, we have a bit of craic!!! – Now more commonly known, this does not, in fact, mean the drug. It translates to fun. But can also be referred to as they are fun(they were great craic). It’s one of those great Irish phrases.
Just get it from the press – If you are in an Irish household and they tell you the extra towels are in the press. No need to look back in confusion anymore. The press is simply a cupboard, in many houses, it is next to the hot water tank, which keeps everything warm and dry.
Well, what’s the story lad – They are not actually looking for you to tell them a story. This translates to “hi how are you today”
“I’ll have some pint of the black stuff.” – I’d like a pint of Guinness, please.
“Your sound out lad.” – Well done, the Irish person is telling you that you are a nice person. Smile and pat yourself on the back.
Crisps/Chips – Chips are chips, and crisps are chips. Confused? Haha, don’t be. In Ireland, potato crisps are potato chips such as Tayto or Doritos. Chips are the regular french fries that you are familiar with.
“Ah sure I’m grand, Grand, grand grand grand” – Ah, one of our most versatile phrases. This can mean so many things. Typically it just means “good”. But you can use it in a lot of situations. Even if you are not good, you can still say grand but in a lower tone, showing less enthusiasm. You can read this post for all the various “Grand” meanings.

How many of these Irish phrases did you know?

I also did this post before where I shared 17 things that we say and what we really mean.

Well, now hope you had a grand time reading this post; you are all sound for taking the time to stop by.

Bye… bye. bye bye bye bye bye-bye.

And before you go here are some bonus Irish phrases you might not know!

“Banjaxed” – Broken or unusable.
“Gobsmacked” – Extremely surprised.
“Bogger” – Someone from a rural area.
“Eejit” – A friendly term for a fool or idiot.
“Gas” – Funny or entertaining.
“Feck” – A milder alternative to the F-word.
“Yoke” – A term for a thing or object.

You can see a full list here.

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