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Dublin: 11 °C Tuesday 19 March, 2024
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10 extremely Irish understatements

We wouldn’t be ones for making a big deal out of things, now.

ONE OF THE hallmarks of the Irish psyche is a tendency to understate just about everything. Sure why would we be wanting to make a fuss?

1.

babyhangover Twitter / @Natale732 Twitter / @Natale732 / @Natale732

What we say: “He’s a bit tired.”

What we mean: “He was extremely drunk last night and is now extremely hungover this morning. But I don’t like to rat on him.”

2.

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What we say: “Oh but she’s harmless, really.”

What we mean: “Well, she’s odd. Quite odd. But we don’t want to be rude.”

3.

Éamon_de_Valera Wikimedia Wikimedia

What we said: The Emergency.

What we meant: Literally World War II. Nazis. Hitler. All of that.

4.

What we say: “Grand soft day, so it is.”

What we mean: “It’s not raining, but I’m soaked through. There’s just a general dampness. I actually hate this.”

5.

What we say: ”She suffered with her nerves.”

What we mean: ”She’s dealing with anxiety/depression.”

6.

What we say: “Oof, there’s a bit of heat in that sun.”

What we mean: “I’m sweating like a pig and about to burn to a crisp.”

7.

What we say: “He had some kind of a turn.”

What we mean: A serious medical issue.

8.

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What we say: The Troubles.

What we mean: Three decades of violence between nationalists and unionists in Northern Ireland.

9.

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What we say: “God loves a trier.”

What we mean: “Well you made a complete and utter balls of that, didn’t you.”

10.

fakesmile Instagram / iamjoie04 Instagram / iamjoie04 / iamjoie04

What we say: “That’s grand now.”

What we mean: “This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.” OR “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

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