What it means
Sound is a very Irish way to say someone’s decent, reliable, and just good people. If a person is sound, they’re the kind you’d trust, have a laugh with, or count on not to mess you about. It also works as a quick reply for alright, grand, nice one, or no bother when you’re agreeing to something.
Usage examples
"Any chance you’d give us a lift into town later? Yeah, sound, no hassle. I’ll throw you a few quid for petrol, cheers."
"He stayed back an hour to help me fix the flat tyre and would not take a penny, genuinely one of the most sound lads I know."
"She barely knew me and still covered my bus fare till I found my wallet. Fair play, that was seriously sound."
"Can you swap shifts with me on Friday? Sound, I owe you one."
"I’d never met her before and she still vouched for me at the door. Proper sound woman."
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Where it comes from
It comes from the older English word sound meaning solid, healthy, and dependable. In Irish English, that sense got warmly shifted onto people, so a sound person is someone steady and decent. From there it also spread into everyday chat as a quick yes, cheers, or all good.
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