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Interpreting Seanachai’s Irish Jargon

Written by J David Moeller (playing Frank Coin)

The cast and crew of Seanachai Theatre’s Midwestern Premier of Owen McCafferty’s “Scenes From the Big Picture” moved into the Storefront Theater Tuesday beginning the final stages of preparation for the opening August 30, at 7:30pm. The play interweaves the lives of 21 people from all strata of society.

It’s written in today’s up-front style and language and minces no words to make its points. As in any living language, the conversations the characters have are laced with jargon/slang.

Casey VanWormer, Seanachai’s “Scenes” dramaturge, says, “I dramaturge mostly because I’m a giant nerd and enjoy spending sunny summer days in the library. Really! My training is in theatre performance and playwriting, but I found my favorite part of putting on a show is the rehearsal process and the research and world building that goes into it.”

VanWormer was dramaturgical intern at Victory Gardens last year. “I feel the rehearsal process is about narrowing down and specifying, about building a world in which every detail is planned out precisely. It’s my job to continuously open things up, to inform the world of the play with a universe of information.”

For us at Seanachai she, among a veritable tome of information (crime statistics, birth and death records, an interview with the playwright) has compiled a list of slang terms and their meanings to assist we actors in better understanding our speeches.

Here are a few that audience members might hear and their meanings.

Dankers (adj): Bad, crappy

Diddies (n): Breasts

Do a runner (v phrs): a hurried departure without paying for a received service

Gargle (n & v): alcohol - to go out drinking

Header (n): nutcase, unstable person

Kip (n): A substandard dwelling
Kip, to have a (n): short sleep, nap

Knock (someone) back (v): To reject someone or their suggestions.

Moo (n): An objectionable woman. Derogatory but also jocular. Essentially the same as ‘cow’ but using the children’s onomatopoeic name for a cow.

Napper (n): head

Poe (n): Chamber pot

Ponce (n): homosexual

Rocket (n): Ditzy, a “space cadet”
2. Penis
3. Reprimand

Shower of shite (n): contemptible person, place or thing

Skins (n): the papers used to roll a joint or a cigarette

slabber (v): to “talk shit” 2. to talk a lot but make no sense

tosspot (n): Insulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous. A chronic drinker