Irish slang – deadly

So you think you’ve got a handle on the English language. So ya think you’ll take a holiday (that’s vacation to you, Mr & Mrs USA) to Ireland and understand what folks are saying.

Think again.

Although Ireland is a predominately english-speaking nation, there will be moments when you’ll wonder whether that’s true or not. It’s not the Irish language, but the way the Irish use English that is truly unique. One of the things that tickled my ears the most when I first moved here and that tends to confuse our stateside guests is some of the slang. Below is the twenty-fourth installment in my series of common Irish slang that used to confuse us when we first arrived.

Deadly – Really good.

This does not mean something will kill you, it means that something is fantastic. It’s usually used in one of two ways. Either on its own:

“How was the concert?”

“Deadly.”

Or to describe someone or something:

“He’s a deadly hurler.”