B

Babbydishes. Pieces of broken pottery, cups and saucers, used as money by children playing `wee shops'.
The more decorated the pieces were the more they were prized. From: Farnsbarn

Bachran: dried cow dung. From Des

Back end - Autumn or early winter e.g 'It was very wet in the back end.' From: anon

Bake: Face.

'She had a bake on 'er that wudda turned milk.'

'He hit him a dig in the bake.'

Baked: Meaning 'on drugs or full of drink' Ur boy over there is baked. From: Gerard

Baldy notion - no idea. Sometimes reduced to baldy -he hasn't a baldy notion what he's doin'. From: Louis

Balleecksed - very drunk indeed.
"Lest night ay wis ebsolutely balleecksed" From: Mark

Baltic: Very cold.

'God, it's Baltic out there, so it is.'

Bant/banter - Talk, "alright man whats the bant?!" From Emily
Similar to craic, but referring specifically to conversation. "Any banter with ye's?" From: Stevie Mac

Banjaxed .. broken down. As in "I cant call over tonight love, the car's banjaxed". From Aaron

Bap, another word for head. 'Duck, mind yer bap.' From Donna Knapper.

Barge: Scold.

'Yer da'll do more than just barge ye when he gets home, ye wee skitter ye.'

Barney: Mind, head.

'Nivver you borr yer barney about that one.'

Nick adds: Barney: A verbal argument. "They're havin' a right barney in there'

Barney Dillin: A one shilling coin. From: John Maze

Barrel: A small, rotund/overweight person usually prefixed with 'wee' ie "She's a real wee barrel!". From: Sally Kelly

Bars - scandal, goings on. "what's the bars?", "any bars?", "No bars?" . May be particular to Derry. From Terry Murphy
"What's the bars?"
The object of a young woman's romantic intentions ie "Did you see your bars in the bar last night?"

Baste: Beast (person) - 'He's a dirty baste him' From: Brian

Bate - beat, as is 'Shut your bake er I'll bate you good lookin' From: Brian

Batter on: carry on with what you're doing From: Jean Elliott

Bealin': Usually when referring to a wound - seeping and showing signs of infection. From: Sally Kelly

Beamer, to 'take a beamer': Be embarrassed. As in, "He took a beamer when his ma called him in for his dinner" From Gerard McCurley

Be/biz: am/are, is/are when the action is recurring.

'I be in that market ivry Friday that God sends.'

'We biz in at the scrake of dawn ivry day.'

'That show biz on at half-seven on Tuesdays.'

Bedlams - The retail outlet Debenams. From James Mulholland

The beeky woman was the Education and Welfare Officer, for pupils who were 'beekin off' - absent from school without explanation. From Rosemary Rankin

Beek or Beak (spelling unestablished): to play hookie "he's beekin off". From: Belfast

Beelin: Festering.
'Y'll have til go til the doctor, thon's really beelin ni.'

Beese - literally 'beasts' generally taken to mean cattle. 'There's a quare lot of beese in thon field' (used in North Antrim.) From: Andrew Kerr

Beezer: Excellent.

'Thon's beezer.'

'That match was a real beezer.'

Behindbacks: To behave in a two-faced or sly manner particularly with regard to personal criticism of an individual. From: Sally Kelly

Belt: To strike, slap or punch. From: Sally Kelly

Belter: Class, superb, amazing. From: Jude

B-ibblede - Be able to From: Mark

Bid: (do as yer bid ) told. From Ian

Bin lid - somebody who has done a stupid act! From: Jim Speers

Big Yokes - Over-weight young ladies. "Any big yokes last night?" Meaning did you socialise with any overweight, particularly buxom ladies last night. From: James Mulholland

Biddies, old women. From Donna Knapper.

Birl: Dance, twirl.

'Sure, didn't he lift me for a coupla wee birls at the Plaza?'

In the days when children swung on ropes from lampposts, a birlie was twisting through 360 degrees on the makeshift swing as it spun round the lamppost.

Birl - a go, as in 'give her a birl' From: Brian

Bladder - kick a ball very hard - give it a good bladder. From Louis Hawthorne

Blade: Tyrone slang for young girl, often with sharp ways with words.

"That we blade shud watc her mouth"
"Where's the wee blade now?"
"Ma sister has a likin for your wee blade" From: Michael Douglas

Blarge: Go into things clumsily, unheedingly.

'He just blarges in t'everything like a bull in a china shop, so he does.'

Blear as in 'sleep in your eyes' 'Wipe them blears out of your eyes son.' From: Terence Donnelly

Bled gander (pronounced to rhyme with render)
My north Antrim granny would remark on how pale I was as a child saying, 'you look like a bled gander'. From: Kathleen Mallon

Blether: Excessively talkative person, to talk excessively.

'Ah was near deaved, ah thought he woud nivver stap bletherin.'

'She's nathin but an oul blether.'

Bletherskite, someone you could not believe what they said, but they were not as bad as a liar. From: Donna Knapper.

Blethercumskite as Bletherskite, my mother would say, 'Yer a blethercumskite and the ducks ill get ya.' From: R. Kennedy

Blirt: An untrustworthy person.

'Ach him, he's nathin' but a blirt, ye cudden't be up t'him.'

Blocked - drunk. From: Nicole

Blootered: Drunk.

Boast: Hollow.

'Don't hing it there, thon wall's boast.'

Bog (pronounced with a short O - almost bug): move - Bog over a bit. Move over a bit. Probably the Irish "bog" (e.g. Bog leat! = Be off with you). From Jack.

Boggin: Dirty.

'I cudn't have stayed there, the whole place was boggin.'

Boke: 1. Vomit.

'The poor chile boked up the Springfield Road.'
2. Humourless person.

'Sure, there's no crack wi him at all, he's a dry oul' boke.'

Bonie (pronounced bow-knee) :- bonfire - usually on the eleventh night (11th July). From Louis

Boul = bowl
'Give us a boul of soup there.' From: JP Devlin.

Boul = bold, and both boul and bold are used locally to mean naughty or cheeky or disrespectful. Children are told "Stop that ye boul boy!" or "Don't be so bold!" From: Bernie

'Yer Ma' adds: Boul - Can mean to shout at someone in an angry tone 'I bouled the head off her' or also having a good time 'Last night was a good boul'.

boutye?, boutcha? - how about you? How are you. Less formal than hello, more Norn Irish than Hi. From Jane

Boys-a-boys: Translates roughly as oh my gosh, or good heavens. An expression of mild amazement at a turn of events. From Noel O'Rawe

Boys-a-dear, is that right. From Rory Donaghy

Boyangs are trousers tied with twine just below the knees.Mainly worn by farmers during harvest time in time gone by From Des

Brapple, A clap of thunder,"That wuz a brave brapple of thunder" From: John

Brass neck: trying your luck to a serious degree. From: Conor

Brave: Indicates a generous amount, distance, frequency etc.

'Ye'd git a brave few bob for them on Ebay.'

'It's brave 'n' warm.'

'It's a brave distance, y'know.'

'She's here brave 'n' often.'

Bravely: Well, recovering.

'Ach, yer man's doin' bravely ni, so he is.'

Bout ye big lad - How are you? From: Stephanie

Breeks - a word used in Ards peninsula for trousers i.e. - pull ur breeks on. From: Jenny

Brown's cows. Disorderly, "get in line there, yiz are like Brown's cows". From - Farnsbarn

Bruckle: refers usually to newly baked wheaten bread that is so fresh it is difficult to cut without it crumbling/breaking From: Michael Carson

Brue: the dole - as in '..he's on the brue' - signing on. From Mags

Buck Mental: A state of euphoria and or violence caused by excessive alcohol downage. ie "look at yer man, hes going buck mental" - also referred to as "buck wild". From uubrey

Bucketing: To mean raining heavily -"we can't go out in that, sure it's bucketing!" From: Maggie

Bully: Warm greeting.

'Bully Jim, what about ye!' Pronounced to sound like, or as, Billy, which must be very confusing for the many Billys being greeted 'Bully Billy!'

Bun worry. Sunday School social evening. From: Farnsbarn

Busted - broken as in 'he had a busted nose' From Pat

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