Feature

06th Jul 2017

24 Verbs That Irish People Use Instead Of Just Saying ‘Kiss’

katedemolder

Between getting with the Blarney Stone, smooching the cross at Easter and SWEARING to friends, foes and farmyard animals that we ‘kissed someone on holidays in Spain that time…’, we just can’t seem to get enough.

But with great shifts come great responsibility, and for the day that’s in it, we’ve decided to list all the great words there are in our endless kissing vocabulary.

You’re welcome…

1. Shift

The original, and the best.

The revival of the shift happened about 2006, and we’ve been living for it ever since.

2. Meet

A favourite in the midlands, this one introduces a lot of confusion for when you actually want to meet..I mean, see, I mean get together with.. Oh, forget it.

3. Get with

Another confusing one, that hasn’t fully decided whether it means just kissing, or maybe more.

But sure listen – if ambiguity isn’t sexy, then we don’t know what is.

4. Feek

Used sporadically by the good people of Leinster and Munster as a work simply meaning ‘to kiss’, this one will bring you way back to the times before mobile phones or notions.

HOWEVER, the dirty divils on Connacht insist that this word means so much more than just ‘kissing’ – so, be careful who you say it to.

5. Póg

Come on, we had to get beagáinín Gaeilge in here.

6. Get the wear

Mmm, romantic.

7. Wear the face off

Even better.

8. Pull

We have found ourselves amidst the middle of another ambiguous term. This could mean absolutely anything…

9. Score

If you’re posh.

10. Smooch

If you’re gross.

11. Lob the gob

Now, this, THIS is the Ireland we all know and love.

12. Snog

Almost porcine in its approach, ‘snog’ came over on the boat from England around the same time that everyone’s parents upgraded from three channels on their telly to 8,000.

And it has been successfully added to our shift-cabulary ever since.

13. Necking on

The Geordie force is strong in this one.

Yet, to a beginner, we imagine this term would lead you down a strange, and very confusing path.

14. Peck

Contrary to popular belief, ‘peck’ may not actually mean the aggressive action that birds use to destroy their victims – it’s actually a whole other, hopefully slightly less aggressive, action altogether.

15. Make out

Used by the Yankee idols of our youth such as Kelly Kapowski, Kenan (Kel’s pal) and all the Bradys of the bunch.

‘Make out’ is one you may use jokingly, but never in front of your mum.

16. Gobsmack

A kiss of the surprise variety. Usually only enjoyed by one party, and generally all nose and chin.

17. Gobbed

This is rarely an excellent experience for either party.

18. Mug

Slightly horrifying that when referring to said mug, this would mean someone would then say ‘I mugged yer one last night’, but we’ll let it slide because it sort of makes us think of tea.