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16 October 2014
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Pachal is the nearest english spelling for oafish person. The "ch" is the same as in loch. From: Gareth

Paddy - describes an untidy or stressful situation, 'I got into a right paddy when I lost my ticket' From: Sian Ferguson

Pahal: big, soft, ineffectual person, a bag of wind. "Don't worry about him, sure he's only a big pahal" From Dominic Campbell


Pamoanyah. Pneumonia,inflammation of the lungs. From John Maze

Panady/panada: dish made from boiling bread in milk and water (with sugar and currants added, or other seasoning to taste.)

Pashin' - raining very heavily, particularly in Ballymena. From: Mark

Pass-remarkable - means critical or judgmental, always ready to pass critical remarks. as in: "You're awful pass-remarkable, so you are." From: Philip

Peasewisp: Untidy heap.

'She just left her clothes lyin' in a peasewisp.'


Peat coom: Remnants of turf/peats - gritty substance at the bottom of the turf bucket. From: Sally Kelly

Peats: cuttings of turf for the fire (Tyrone). From Robert

Pech - breathe noisily, for example after climbing a steep hill when a trifle overweight. 'You'd have heard the pechs of him far enough'. From: Eleanor Ebrahim

Peelers - the police. From Mags

Peery meaning a spinning top. My head goin aroundlike a peery. From: Des

Pernickedy- fussy From: Stephen Hewitt

Pickin' a plot: Preparing for death. From: Sally Kelly

Piece: 1. Packed lunch.

'Yer man takes a piece t'work that wud feed a regiment.'

2. Sandwich. Definitely not of the prawn and ciabatta variety, more a round of plain bread with the dollop of jam or, in the past, a sprinking of sugar.

'Ma, ma, can ah have a piece?'

Piggin: Filthy.

'Luk at the state o' ye, y're piggin!'

Pinking: Struggling or straining (usually with regard to a vehicle being driven in too high gear) From: Sally Kelly

Pinting: The act of partaking of alcoholic beverages/libations. From: Sally Kelly

Pinade... Warm milk,bread and sugar in a bowl. From: Des

Pishmire: An ant. From: Brian

Dominic Campbell adds: alternative meaning(pron. pishmare). Those little flies that plague you in the country lanes during summer.
Pishmire, as in "wicked as a pishmire", meaning a particularly spiteful or unruly person. From Aaron

Pistrogue - probably not correctly spelt, but used by my (Southern Irish) mother to mean an old wive's tale. Don't know whether it's a Sligo or Fermanagh border phrase. From Sharon.

Pit - another name for bed. eg, "I'm off to the pit" From: Aaron

Pitters - potatoes From: Jack

A pitter pit - a clamp of potatoes (praties)(East Tyrone) "Ah had Pitters & butther for ma dinner" (Dinner wasn't dinner without the pitters) (Country people had their dinner at lunch time and their tay when the more posh people were having dinner) From: Jack

Plaiting(pronounced platting)the legs: My mother's, (God rest her), description of a drunk man.You can visualise the graphics. From: Jackie Clarke

Plamasser - Used to describe someone who tries to get round you using flattery. 'He's after something becauses he's plamassing round me'. From Anne.

Plastered: Drunk, inebriated. From: Sally Kelly

Pluckering meaning a chesty cough. He was coughing and pluckering all night, sure he has a bad cold. From: Des

Pockle: 1. Awkward, ungainly person. To behave in a muddled, awkward way.

'He's a right pockle that one.'

'Nivver worry, we'll pockle through'.

2. To walk with difficulty.

'Ye shudda seen him tryin' til pockle up the stairs.'

Another less savoury use of the word pockle is to describe a pile of dog faeces... as in "You just stepped in a pockle" From: Tom Coulter

Pointy Head - As in "he took a pointy head and would'nt do what he was told" From: Shirley

Poke: Ice-cream cone.

'Gis two pokes and a slider, mister.'


Polluted - Drunk. I was polluted last night hi sir. From Connor

Pollution: A pest or nuisance. From: Sally Kelly

Poof: (noun) A fart (can also be used as a verb. "Stop poofing." From - Mark

Porties: Potatoes. From: Sally Kelly

Poultice - an annoying person or creature. From - David Orr



Poundies: Potates and scallions mixed with butter and a dash of milk



Pourin'/pouring:Heavy or torrential rain. From: Sally Kelly



Poverty Pack:A 10 pack of cigarettes. From: Sally Kelly



Powerful: Very good, fantastic (similar to deadly or Dead on!) From: Sally Kelly
Powerful - Great. "Thon's jist powerful" From: Mark

Powerful allthegether - means quite a feat/event. Jimmy - 'Stormy last night!' Paddy - 'Powerful allthegether!'. From Gerard Kelly

Praper - as well as "proper", can mean correct, correctly. "the praper way til do it". The Ulster dialect has been called Norn Iron Praper. From: Mark

Press: A cupboard, larder or wardrobe. From: Sally Kelly

Prog - to steal from -usually an orchard. From: anon

Pukeadute - same as a chav (from the Lower Ormeau area of Belfast) From: Greg

Pull and Push rhyme with hull and hush in rural areas, but in Belfast are ususually pronounced pool and poosh. From: Stephen Hewitt

Pull or pulled, to detain as in I got pulled by the police or out on the pull as in out with the girls looking for a fella. From Sian Ferguson

Pull the pin: To end a process abruptly (if referring to a person usually means they have died ie 'he pulled the pin') From: Sally Kelly

Purdy- this is a Co. Tyrone word for a potato- or purdies for potatoes. From Christine Andrews

Pure: Very, or used to denote an extremity of eg emotions "He was pure ragin' when he heard the bad news!". From: Sally Kelly

Push: To distribute or share cigarettes. From: Sally Kelly

Puss: An unpleasant, sulky looking face: 'Look at the puss on that one, tis enough to stop a clock!' From: Catherine Kelly

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