Having been on the island of Ireland for about four months now, I have to say that I have adjusted adequately to the accents of the people I meet. I have also come to understand the meaning of the many colloquial sayings. In my four months of experience, I have not gone one full week without hearing all of below expressions in conversation. Out of all of the sayings that I hear most frequently, below Is a list of sayings that I consider to be my favorite. To the right of each saying is a sentence that describes how i would define the corresponding expression.
Sayings/Expression Definition
Taking the piss Joking around
Wee Used when referring to something small
So it was Used to agree with what someone said
Sorted Taken care of
Lifted To grab or to take
Cheers Wishing someone well, or to end a conversation
Happy days Used when pleased with a situation at hand
Dead on Exactly right
Hiya Very informal greeting of hello, how are you
See a man about a dog Clever saying to conceal ones true destination
These expressions are my favorite to hear in conversation. When I first got here I had no idea what any of them meant. Now my face lights up whenever I hear it in conversation because I understand the meaning within the context that it was used in. What I find amazing is that I’ve found myself saying some of these expressions naturally in conversation. Never did I think there would be a day where this would be the case. Half of the time, when I say some of the expressions my friends call me out on it, then we all laugh about it. There are way more saying/ expressions used in daily conversation. Even till this day, I am hearing new expressions that aren’t used as frequently. I said before that i found myself using some of these sayings in daily conversation, but i won’t be surprised if I go back to the states with a wee accent. So, i guess we have to wait and see, so we will!
