Des MacHale, an 80-year-old emeritus professor of mathematics at University College Cork, has published 'Langers & Lashes: A Compendium of Cork Slang,' billed as the most comprehensive collection of the crude, playful, and ingenious wordplay that inflects speech in Ireland's second city. The book, released in July, decodes terms such as 'langer,' which can mean idiot, drunkenness, or penis depending on context.
Rich and versatile slang
MacHale calls 'langer' an 'absolutely beautiful word' and notes its versatility baffles outsiders. 'It's an extraordinarily rich area that most dictionaries avoid,' he says. 'It's a very real phenomenon of language that hasn't been taken terribly seriously until now.' The publisher, Mercier, added explanatory notes to highlight some terms' 'historical context and outdated social views' and stressed inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Common motifs: sex, drink, and religion
Sex, drink, and religion are common motifs in Cork slang. A 'premature ejaculator'—attributed to the late Cork actor and comedian Niall Tóibín—is a man who needs the toilet after only three pints. 'Immaculate conception' describes drinkers who dodge paying their round. 'Lash' refers to an attractive woman. MacHale asserts that Cork uses local slang more extensively than other parts of Ireland, including Dublin, Belfast, and Galway.
An unlikely chronicler
MacHale, originally from County Mayo, has lived in Cork for about 55 years and is still regarded as a 'blow-in.' He has authored dozens of books on puzzles and humour, including a book of Kerryman jokes that continues to sell 50 years after publication. 'A mathematician likes to collect, classify and put things together,' he explains. His Cork slang credentials are bolstered by having five Cork-born children, including actor Dominic MacHale, who plays Sergeant Healy in the BBC sitcom 'Young Offenders.'
Compilation and examples
For the compendium, MacHale drew on two earlier out-of-print books about Cork slang and conversations with residents. 'Nearly everybody you meet has got a new word,' he says. 'Women seem to be a lot better at remembering the words and using them than men.' Under A, there is 'all-a-bah,' a warning when someone is about to vomit. A person who is 'all Gillette' is dolled-up. Brussels sprouts are 'balls of the cabbage.' To be ill is to feel 'like a small hospital' or to be 'barely above ground.' A 'wooden suit' is a coffin. 'Bazz' is female pubic hair, not to be confused with 'bazzer' (a cheap haircut) or 'bozzer' (an attractive person).
More colorful terms
To 'be doggy wide' is to be very careful. A 'belly bachelor' is an opportunist who cultivates friendships for free meals. To tell someone to get lost, you say: 'bite the back of me bollix.' To 'lob the gob' is to try to kiss someone. A 'martyr for the quare thing' is someone with a strong libido. To 'fertilise the stars' is to urinate in a field and to 'raise the froth' is to urinate copiously. A 'dullamoo'—from Irish ag dul amú (getting lost)—is an unreliable person, and a 'gedgemeen' is a small, unhappy person. Not all terms were necessarily coined in Cork but are commonly heard there, according to MacHale.
Political cameo
'Tosser'—defined as a synonym for 'langer'—made a controversial appearance in the Irish parliament this week. During a clash with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, opposition leader Mary Lou McDonald said, 'Jesus, he really is a tosser,' a remark that entered the official Dáil record.
