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PRACTICALITIES (cont.)

• expressing gratitude: if someone does you a favour and/or shows consideration to you by saying "thanks", try to answer with "you're welcome", "no problem" etc, rather than the N. American "Ah-ha".
• Path = footpath, typically at the side of the road. Equivalent of N. American "sidewalk". It can also refer to a track/route through a park or countryside.
• NUMBERS: Irish people often prounounce the digit '0' as "Oh" rather thanthe more effective "zero". However, that is changing in Dublin, mainly as a result of the computer industry
• Wellies = Wellington boots. Knee-length soft plastic boots worn by Irish farmers everywhere to prevent mud/wet/rats from your feet. Doubtless the Duke of Wellington had a leather version!
• Lift = elevator! Irish floor numbers begin with ground [G] followed by 1, 2 etc, rather than the continental practice of calling the ground floor '1'.

DUBLIN DOUBLE VERB USE

The construction of language, both native Irishand English, is often arranged to make maximum impact. A very common and exclusively Dublin example may be found in the use of the twin verbs 'do' and 'be'. For example, if you are feeling particularly exhausted, you say "I do be jaded after work" rather than the English "I am exhausted after work"!

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Guest sayings

Guest sayings are archived on this page.