A Norn Iron language lesson for Courtney Cox

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Yesterday we learned that former Friends actress Courtney Cox sometimes struggles with the accent of her Northern Irish boyfriend, Johnny McDaid from Snow Patrol. We thought we’d help her out, so here’s a few words she might think she recognises, that have a totally different meaning over here…

Beg:

  • Normal meaning: to ask for something.
  • Northern Irish meaning: something in which to carry your shopping.
  • Usage: “Do you wanna wee beg wi’ that?”

Wan:

  • Normal meaning: pale in colour, the surname of a TV fashion guru.
  • Northern Irish meaning: the number 1, a single thing
  • Usage: Gie me wan a them wee begs for my shappin’

Lock:

  • Normal meaning: an article used to secure a door.
  • Northern Irish meaning: several, a lot.
  • Usage: gie me a lock a them begs wud ye?

Hat:

  • Normal meaning: an item of headgear.
  • Northern Irish meaning: something which burns.
  • Usage: Mind you don’t scald yerself on that hat watter.

Tall:

  • Normal meaning: high, of great height.
  • Northern Irish meaning: something to dry yourself with.
  • Usage: Am goin fur a shar, have ye any talls.

Putt:

  • Normal meaning: a shot in golf.
  • Northern Irish meaning: to place in a particular spot.
  • Usage: putt that shappin in the beg.

Windy:

  • Normal meaning: stormy weather.
  • Northern Irish meaning: a glass panel allowing light into a building.
  • Usage: It’s gettin wile windy, go an’ shut thon windy wud ye?

Bake:

  • Normal meaning: a method of cooking in an oven.
  • Northern Irish meaning: one’s ‘beak’ – face or mouth.
  • Usage: shut yer bake before I putt ye through thon windy.

Mare:

  • Normal meaning: a female horse:
  • Northern Irish meaning: a household decoration in which one can see one’s reflection.
  • Usage: The bake on thon doll wud break a mare.

Black:

  • Normal meaning: the darkest of all colours.
  • Northern Irish meaning: something one does to a road.
  • Usage: themuns are blackin’ our parade, so they are.

Hopefully this will help Ms Cox in her future acting career, and if the cast of Friends ever get back together for a one off special, she can go full Norn Iron on them – “Shut yer bake, Chandler, or ah’ll stick a beg over yer head an’ putt ye through thon windy, so ah will, ye ballbeg.”