If we’re talking about the whole lot of something, we call it the whole kit and kaboodle. But what’s a kaboodle? In Dutch, a “kit en boedel” refer to a house and everything in it. For the sake of the English idiom, we just...
Sure, there’s Grandma and Grampa, but there’s also Gammy, Bumpy, Dadoo, Gre-Gre, Kiki, Kerkel, Monga, Nee-Nee, Pots, Rah-Rah and Woo-Woo. Martha and Grant talk about the endlessly inventive names grandchildren call their grandparents...
If your car’s broken down you might say it’s banjaxed, especially if you’re in Ireland. A caller who grew up in Dublin is curious about the word. This is part of a complete episode.
In Ireland you’ll find that some folks have an odd habit of gasping in mid-conversation. A Texan who lived in Dublin for years says he found this speech trait disconcerting. The hosts explain that this “pulmonic ingressive” is...
rent-a-quote n.— «Roy Keane has been labelled a “rent-a-quote” manager by former Ireland midfielder Eamon Dunphy. “I know Roy well and he hated all that manager-speak,” Dunphy said. “Now he holds these...
spide n.— «In good old Northern Ireland (that’s Norn Iron in the local accent…beautiful, isn’t it?) we call “chavs’”spides,” and female versions are called “millies,” which makes it quite amusing when...