Essential English phrases

The standard Cork greeting. 'Boy' here is a sentence tag, not a description of who you are talking to.

An idiot, a chancer, a fool. Cork's signature word and mildly vulgar in origin — affectionate between friends, an insult from a stranger.

Very drunk. Same root, entirely different word. 'He's langers' and 'he's a langer' are not the same accusation.

A woman, or a girlfriend. Common in Cork and Limerick, close to unheard in Dublin.

Cork's view of itself relative to Dublin. Also 'the People's Republic of Cork'. Agreeing with it will get you a long way.

Decent, reliable — and also 'thanks, that's fine'. Shared with the rest of Ireland and used constantly.

Walking up and down the main shopping street for the sake of it. The oldest social activity in the city.

From north or south of the River Lee. The two channels of the river split the centre into an island, and the northside/southside divide is a real social geography — 'Norrie' is a jibe, so be careful with it.

The road tunnel every east-side commute funnels through. 'The tunnel' in traffic reports means this and nothing else.

The transport card for Bus Éireann city services and the Cork commuter rail lines to Cobh, Midleton and Mallow.

Cork drinks its own stouts. Beamish and Murphy's are both brewed in the city, and both are usually cheaper than Guinness here.

Emergency services — Garda, fire, ambulance.