Irish Idiomatic Expressions

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. An easy one to start out with: If you hear an Irish person say "There was great craic (pronounced crack) last night", what do they mean? I was off my rocker on cocaine last night There were prostitutes at the bar last night There were a lot of drugs at the party last night I had a lot of fun last night

2. In particle physics, the little tiny things that make up protons, neutrons and electrons are called "quarks". In which book by Irish writer James Joyce does the word first appear? (In the original context, it has nothing to do with physics). "Finnegan's Wake" "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" "Ulysses" "Dubliners"

3. Which of the following words were *not* introduced into the English language by the Irish? smirt boycott doyle lynch

4. If you are having a party in Ireland, and you tell everyone to come at 8pm, what time do you expect them at? They are not expected at all, they know you just asked them to be polite Between 7 and 8pm Any time from 9pm onwards Exactly at 8pm

5. What does "the divil a one" mean at all, at all? he's a young rebel lots the devil is one none

6. Which of the following does not mean "drunk"? langers banjaxed treed floored

7. Which of the following is not a (slightly derogotary) term to describe an Irish person from a particular part of the country? Skanger Culchie Jackeen Biffo

8. This is an old Irish proverb. What does it mean? "If you lie down with dogs, you will rise up with fleas." Sleeping with dogs leads to vermin problems. If you run around in bad company, you'll come to a bad end. Bestiality is illegal. If you're stuck in a rut, don't stay there, because if you don't do something different soon, you'll never get out of it.

9. Which of the following is *not* an Irish proverb? The man with boots doesn't care where he steps There's no fireplace like your own fireplace Never ask a leprechaun to mend your thatch When the whiskey goes in the truth comes out

10. Here's a hard one to see what you've learned. Which of the following Irishisms is the closest in meaning to "eejit"? jackeen langer fool blackguard (pronounced "blaggard")