“Eejit” and 9 Other Irish Lingo That We Love From Derry Girls

In 2018, we were introduced to one of the funniest series to ever happen on television: presenting Derry Girls by Lisa McGee. Derry Girls is a heartwarming, honest, and relatable coming-of-age show that is based on McGee’s experiences growing up as a teenager. Now, time to play Dreams by The Cranberries.

If you find yourself drawn into something with a 90s flair and a cult following, check out this brilliantly hilarious show on Netflix or Channel 4 if you are based in the UK and Ireland. There are currently two seasons available on Netflix for you to binge-watch, so if you are due for a Derry Girls recap just hit the “replay” button.

The comedy series follows a chaotic group of five friends as they navigate their teenage life during “The Troubles” in a wee town called Derry or Londonderry in the Northwest of Ireland. Meet Erin Quinn, Orla McCool, Clare Devlin, Michelle Mallon, and James “the wee English fella” Maguire – five high schoolers who are all trying to live a normal young adult life amid strict supervision by Catholic school teachers, meddling parents, and ongoing political unrest and cultural divides in Northern Ireland.

Throughout the series, our ears are exposed to a variety of strong and thick Irish accents, as well as James’ English accent. So if you're not familiar with the Irish accent, it's probably best to use subtitles to figure out what our favorite gang is saying. Without further ado, here's a Sister Michael approved glossary of Derryisms and their definitions to help you become an official Derry Girl.

Banjaxed

Meaning – Broken

Sentence – The four friends think that the engine of the bus is banjaxed again.

Tenor

Buzzing

Meaning – Very happy

Sentence – Erin is buzzing this morning.

Tenor

Raging

Meaning – Annoyed or angry

Sentence – Erin lied to get out of an exam and now her mom is raging.

Tenor

Dander

Meaning – Walk

Sentence – They are taking James out for a quick dander.

Tenor

Eejit

Meaning – Idiot

Sentence – The new shop owner is known as the town’s eejit.

Tenor

Dicko

Meaning – A general insult

Sentence – Clare defended Orla for being called a dicko.

Tenor

Craic

Meaning – Fun

Sentence – The girls had a great craic watching tv.

Tenor

Cracker

Meaning – Beyond brilliant

Sentence – Their new entrance is a cracker!

Tenor

Class

Meaning – Brilliant

Sentence – Orla and her grandpa think that presentation is class.

Tenor

Slabber

Meaning – Show off

Sentence – Sister Mary Michael is slabbering her new car.

Tenor