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The second largest city in Ireland, Belfast has its own slang, and visitors
may find it difficult to get their ears around the resulting conversations.
Here is some general advice.
The standard Belfast greeting, applicable to almost any set of circumstances,
is: "How's about you?"
This is usually abbreviated to "'Bout ye," which can sound
like "Bite ye" so don't be alarmed.
You will survive linguistically by tacking on the compound word "so-it-is"
to any sentence.
For example "It's raining so-it is!"
Or a variation, when referring to a young man of questionable upbringing,
you might say "That boy is a spide, so-he-is," while of his
sister you would comment
"She's a little millie, so-she-is."
If when speaking in Belfast , you become frustrated, a local may well
advise you not to "lose your bap." A bap is a local word for
bread bun, but losing it refers to your cool or your temper. If asked
as a woman, by a man to "Show us your baps luv," extreme caution
is advised.
If it is apparent that you are confused, a local may well observe that
you "don't have a scoobies."
But, whatever happens, don't fret. Away on! Have a quare geg about it.
Sure it's just a load of blether.
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