The craic is mighty. Irish slang is storytelling in miniature, every expression sounds like it belongs in a pub tale. Grand, deadly, gas, the Irish make three words do the work of thirty.
Sound
Grand, reliable, good craic. If an Irish person calls you sound, you've been approved. It means you're decent, trustworthy, and generally good to be around.
The craic
Fun, entertainment, the overall vibe of a situation. "What's the craic?" means "what's going on?" and "the craic was mighty" means you had the time of your life.
Gas
Hilarious, really funny. When something's "gas" in Ireland, it's comedy gold. Not fuel, not flatulence, just pure entertainment value.
Craic
A great person. If someone says "he's great craic," they're saying that person is brilliant fun to be around. It's the highest social compliment in the Irish vocabulary.
Banjaxed
Completely broken, destroyed, ruined beyond repair. Whether it's a machine, a plan, or your knee after five-a-side, if it's banjaxed, it's not getting fixed anytime soon.
Grand
Fine, okay, perfectly acceptable. The most versatile word in the Irish vocabulary. Broke your arm? "Ah, it's grand." House on fire? "Sure, it'll be grand." It's zen as a philosophy.
Deadly
Brilliant, amazing, fantastic. The opposite of what you'd think. In Ireland, "deadly" is one of the highest compliments. If something's deadly, it's so good it might actually kill you (with joy).
Acting the maggot
Messing around, being deliberately annoying, playing the fool. When someone's acting the maggot, they're not being serious and probably driving everyone around them mental.
Eejit
An idiot, but with love. The Irish pronunciation of "idiot" that somehow sounds way more affectionate. You can call your best friend an eejit and they'll laugh. Try "idiot" and see what happens.
Savage
Brilliant, amazing, absolutely fantastic. In Ireland, "savage" is pure, unfiltered praise. A savage night out, a savage meal, a savage goal, it's intensity disguised as a compliment.
Thick
Angry, furious, absolutely livid. In Ireland, being "thick" doesn't mean stupid, it means you're raging. "I'm thick with him" means someone is in serious trouble.
Slagging
Making fun of someone, teasing, taking the mick. Slagging in Ireland is an art form and an expression of affection. If nobody's slagging you, they don't care about you.
Gammy
Dodgy, injured, not working properly. A gammy leg, a gammy eye, a gammy signal, when something's gammy, it's functional but barely, and it's making life harder than it needs to be.
Away with the fairies
Daydreaming, distracted, completely spaced out. When someone's away with the fairies, their body is present but their mind has left the building for somewhere much more interesting.