• Podcasts
    • Grammar Girl
    • Curious State
    • Get-Fit Guy
    • Money Girl
    • Project Parenthood
    • Relationship Doctor
    • Modern Mentor
    • Nutrition Diva
    • Savvy Psychologist
    • Who Knew?
    • Unknown History
    • Modern Manners Guy
  • Books
  • Categories
    • Health & Fitness
    • House & Home
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Pets
    • Education
    • Tech
    • Productivity
    • Business & Career
    • Money & Finance
  • Offers
  • About QDT
What's Hot

Post-Training Soreness: Are You Getting Stronger?

March 24, 2023

Grammar Quirks: Juan Gomez-Jurado on His ‘False Friend’ in Writing

March 22, 2023

Expert Advice on Real Estate Investing and Syndication

March 17, 2023
opens in a new window Facebook opens in a new window Twitter opens in a new window Instagram
Quick and Dirty Tips
  • Podcasts
    • Grammar Girl
    • Curious State
    • Get-Fit Guy
    • Money Girl
    • Project Parenthood
    • Relationship Doctor
    • Modern Mentor
    • Nutrition Diva
    • Savvy Psychologist
    • Who Knew?
    • Unknown History
    • Modern Manners Guy
  • Books
  • Categories
    • Health & Fitness
    • House & Home
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Pets
    • Education
    • Tech
    • Productivity
    • Business & Career
    • Money & Finance
  • Offers
  • About QDT
opens in a new window Facebook opens in a new window Twitter opens in a new window Instagram opens in a new window Pinterest
Quick and Dirty Tips
You are at:Home » 3 Phrases for St. Patrick’s Day … and 1 to Avoid
Grammar Girl

3 Phrases for St. Patrick’s Day … and 1 to Avoid

Faith and begorrah, we have Irish phrases for St. Patrick's Day!

By Samantha EnslenMarch 1, 2019No Comments6 Mins Read
opens in a new window Facebook opens in a new window Twitter opens in a new window Pinterest opens in a new window LinkedIn opens in a new window Tumblr opens in a new window Email
opens in a new window Apple Podcast Page opens in a new window Spotify Podcast Page opens in a new window Google Podcast Page opens in a new window Sticher Podcast Page
two dogs in green hats, bows, and bow tiesopens IMAGE file
Share
opens in a new window Facebook opens in a new window Twitter opens in a new window Pinterest opens in a new window WhatsApp opens in a new window Email

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up March 17. With that in mind, today we’re going to talk about three phrases you’re likely to hear on that holiday.

Before we dive in, here’s a refresher on St. Patrick. His life was pretty eventful. He was born in Great Britain in the 5th century and then kidnapped as a child and enslaved by Irish raiders. He escaped back to his home country after six years.

Later, as an adult, he dreamed that a group of Irishmen were calling him back to their land. Believing he’d received a message from God, he returned to Ireland as a one-man missionary, spreading word of the Christian faith across the pagan island and baptizing people left and right.

Legends surround his stay there. He’s best known for having driven all the snakes out of Ireland (which is probably a metaphor for driving out the druids). He’s also said to have raised 33 people from the dead, some of whom had been buried for years.

He’s even said to have placed a curse on an Irish clan who didn’t take kindly to his promotion of a new deity. Their spirit animal was a wolf, and they howled at Patirck when he came close. Patrick retaliated. The legends say he put a curse on them that turned one couple, every seven years, into wolves—wolves that spoke like humans and craved human flesh. You could say he turned them into werewolves.

On a more peaceful note, St. Patrick is also supposed to have illustrated the Holy Trinity of Christianity by using a shamrock, showing its three leaves growing from a single stem. Partly due to this legend, shamrocks have become the national flower of Ireland, and are symbolic of all things Irish, especially St. Patrick’s Day.

Now that you know who St. Patrick is, let’s get back to words you might hear on this holiday. We’ll start with “Begorrah.”

What Does ‘Begorrah’ Mean?

Begorrah is a euphemism for the phrase “by God.” You sometimes hear it in the phrase, “faith and begorrah.” It’s the Irish equivalent of an American saying, “by golly” or “by gosh.”

Its first recorded use was 1839. An English newspaper published in 1885 made fun of the word, suggesting that the Prince of Wales, when visiting Ireland, should familiarize himself with Irish slang such as “arrah,”’ “begorra,” “be jabers,” and “spalpeen.”

“Arrah,” by the way, is an expression of disbelief. “Be jabbers” means “by Jesus.” And a “spalpeen” is a young boy.

What Does ‘Erin go Bragh’ Mean?

Erin go Bragh is the Anglicized version of the gaelic Éire go Brách, spelled with a “ch” at the end rather than a “gh.”  It means “Ireland forever,” with the literal translation being “Ireland till doomsday” or “Ireland until the end of time.” We don’t know when this phrase was first used, but it was a rallying cry during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 against British rule, adorning the flags of the Irish forces.

After just three months of fighting, the British were victorious, tens of thousands of Irishmen were dead, and the Irish Parliament abolished. Ireland remained, but it was ruled directly from London until 1922.

What Does ‘Sláinte’ Mean?

On a more cheerful note, let’s all say this word together: “sláinte!” “Sláinte” is a toast meaning “health.” You can respond with “sláinte agad-sa,” meaning, “to your health as well,” or “back atcha.”

“Sláinte” comes from the Old Gaelic word “slan,” meaning healthy or whole. It’s related to the Latin word for health, “salvus,” and the German word for blessed, “selig.”

Toasting before drinking, by the way, is a centuries-old custom. In ancient Greece, it was customary to raise your glass to the sky, deliberately spill some of your drink, pray with arms and cup raised, and then, and only then, take your first sip. The gods watching from Mount Olympus considered the spilled wine an offering.

In 17th century Ireland, toasting took the form of a one-on-one drinking challenge. The ritual dictated that the toaster “sups up his breath, turns the bottom of his cup upward … and gives the cup a phillip to make it twange.” In other words, he has to drain his cup. The toastee then had to do the same thing … over and over, every time he was toasted.

This kind of sláinte probably isn’t good for your health.

Is “Top of the Morning to You” an Irish Saying?

One phrase you might want to avoid—especially if you’re talking to an Irish person—is “top o’ the morning to you!”

This phrase was probably in use at one time in Ireland. The Oxford English Dictionary describes it as “an Irish morning greeting” and includes two citations from the mid-1800s. And a handbook to Irish English, published in 1910, notes that “’The top of the morning to you’ is used everywhere [in Ireland], North and South.”

However, the phrase is archaic now; nobody uses it anymore. Assuming that Irish people greet each other this way is like thinking that Americans start the day with a hearty, “howdy, pardner.” Or that British folk greet each other with a “pip, pip, cheerio!”

The phrases are stereotypes, more frequently heard in comedy skits and bad movies than in real life.

To conclude, “Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig ort!” — in other words, “May the blessing of St. Patrick’s Day be on you.”

Samantha Enslen runs Dragonfly Editorial. You can find her at @dragonflyedit.

Related stories

Paddy versus Patty

How to Speak English Like the Irish

Irish Influences on English

 

References

Bryce, Elyse. Historically Speaking. Begorrah. (Accessed February 21, 2019)

Carey, Stan. Top of the morning to yourself. MacMillan Dictionary Blog. (Accessed February 21, 2019)

Dorney, John. The Irish Story. The 1798 Rebellion – a brief overview. (Accessed February 21, 2019)

Encyclopedia Britannica. Irish Rebellion, St. Patrick. (Accessed February 21, 2019)

Joyce, P.W. Chapter 2: Affirming, Assenting, and Saluting, in English as we speak it in Ireland. London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1910 (Accessed February 21, 2019)

Larson, Laurence Marcellus, ed. The King’s Mirror. New York: Twayne, 1917, pp. 115-16.

MacBain, Alexander. Slan, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language. Stirline: Eneas MacKay, 1911.

Mahnke, Aaron. Off the Path, in The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures. New York: Del Ray, 2017.

McKittrick, Samuel. Sam’s Flags. Development and History of Irish Flags, Part 9: The Rising of 1798. (Accessed February 21, 2019) (Accessed February 21, 2019)

Proctor, John, A. Bryan. Moonshine. The Royal Visit to Erin. (Accessed February 21, 2019)

Smith, Ben T. Dialect blog. “Top o’ the Morning:” Myth and Reality. (Accessed February 21, 2019)

Visser, Margaret. The Rituals of Dinner: The Origins, Evolution, Eccentricities, and Meaning. Open Road Media, 2015.

Wright, Joseph. Begorra. The English Dialect Dictionary, A-C. Oxford University Press, 1903. (Accessed February 21, 2019)

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Samantha Enslen
  • opens in a new window Facebook
  • opens in a new window Twitter

Samantha Enslen is an award-winning writer who has worked in publishing for more than 20 years. She runs Dragonfly Editorial, an agency that provides copywriting, editing, and design for scientific, medical, technical, and corporate materials. Sam is the vice president of ACES, The Society for Editing, and is the managing editor of Tracking Changes, ACES' quarterly journal.


Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Don't Miss

Post-Training Soreness: Are You Getting Stronger?

By Kevin DonMarch 24, 2023

If you are a regular listener of the Get-Fit Guy podcast, you will know that…

Grammar Quirks: Juan Gomez-Jurado on His ‘False Friend’ in Writing

March 22, 2023

Expert Advice on Real Estate Investing and Syndication

March 17, 2023

Prevent Identity Theft: 3 Basic Cybersecurity Principles You Should Know

March 14, 2023
Stay In Touch
  • opens in a new window Facebook 12K
  • opens in a new window Twitter 25.7K
  • opens in a new window Pinterest 18.5K
  • opens in a new window Instagram 123K
  • opens in a new window YouTube 23K
  • opens in a new window Vimeo 11.2K
Our Picks

Post-Training Soreness: Are You Getting Stronger?

By Kevin DonMarch 24, 2023

Grammar Quirks: Juan Gomez-Jurado on His ‘False Friend’ in Writing

By Editor, Grammar GirlMarch 22, 2023

Expert Advice on Real Estate Investing and Syndication

By Laura Adams, MBAMarch 17, 2023
opens in a new window Demo

Subscribe

opens in a new window Samantha Enslen for Apple Podcast Page opens in a new window Samantha Enslen for Spotify Podcast Page opens in a new window Samantha Enslen for Google Podcast Page opens in a new window Samantha Enslen for Sticher Podcast Page

Books

Book Cover for Quick and dirty Tips for Better Writing
opens in a new windowB image for Amazon.com opens in a new windowB image for Barnes and Noble opens in a new windowB image for IndiBOund opens in a new windowB image for  Apple iBookstore opens in a new windowB image for IndiBOund
Ultimate Writing Guide
opens in a new windowU image for Amazon.com opens in a new windowU image for Barnes and Noble opens in a new windowU image for IndiBOund opens in a new windowU image for  Apple iBookstore

Don't miss

Never miss another tip! Join our list to get updates from your favorite hosts delivered straight to your inbox
Sign Up
ABOUT US
logo-img

Whether you want to manage your money better, rock your professional life, stay fit and eat healthy, or discover the keys to better mental health, Quick and Dirty Tips delivers short-form podcasts and articles every week to keep you at the top of your game, usually in ten minutes or less!

Email: contact@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email

QUICK LINKS
  • opens in a new windowHealth & Fitness
  • opens in a new windowHouse & Home
  • opens in a new windowParenting
  • opens in a new windowRelationships
  • opens in a new windowPets
  • opens in a new windowEducation
  • opens in a new windowTech
  • opens in a new windowProductivity
  • opens in a new windowBusiness & Career
  • opens in a new windowMoney & Finance
  • opens in a new windowHow to listen
  • opens in a new windowPrivacy notice
  • opens in a new windowAds & Cookies
  • opens in a new windowTerms of Use
  • opens in a new windowAbout QDT
  • opens in a new windowOur Hosts
OUR PICKS

Post-Training Soreness: Are You Getting Stronger?

March 24, 2023

Grammar Quirks: Juan Gomez-Jurado on His ‘False Friend’ in Writing

March 22, 2023

Expert Advice on Real Estate Investing and Syndication

March 17, 2023
opens in a new window Facebook opens in a new window Twitter opens in a new window Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. Quick & Dirty Tips™ and related trademarks appearing on this website are the property of Mignon Fogarty, Inc. and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.