GUBU adj. grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre, unprecedented; (hence) disreputable or scandalous. Also n. and attrib. Etymological Note: The acronym was coined in 1983, based on words spoken by Irish Prime Minister Charles Haughey in 1982, by journalist Conor Cruise O’Brien, who also spared little effort in popularizing it. Originally referring to scandals originating related to the Haughey government, it has since—much like the American Watergate—become a more general term for scandal or political disrepute. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Rowan in Ottawa, Ontario, says her Irish mom used a puzzling word to indicate a sort of restless discontent not caused by anything in particular. It may be neamhchinnte, which means “uncertain” or “indecisive.” This is part...
Rose in Lebanon, Virginia recalls a phrase passed down from her great-grandmother: The night before the first day of school, parents would come into the children’s bedroom and say in a singsong voice: School butter, school butter. This...
