Eejit

Eejit (noun / Irish slang)

(Also heard as: Right eejit, Total eejit, Acting the eejit)

Definition: A fool or an idiot. It’s mostly said with a laugh when someone’s doing something completely brainless, rather than to actually hurt their feelings.

Pronunciation: /ˈiː.dʒɪt/

Where It Comes From: It’s literally just the word “idiot” said in a thick Irish brogue and spelled the way it sounds. It’s been knocking around Ireland for centuries, but shows like Father Ted and Irish comedians took it global. Now pretty much everyone in Britain and beyond knows exactly what you mean when you say it.

How People Actually Use It: Brought out the second someone does something clumsy, lazy, or just plain thick. You’ll hear an Irish mammy yell it when you walk mud across a clean floor, lads shout it down the pub when someone knocks a round over, or when a mate tries doing DIY without reading the instructions first.

Examples in the Wild:

• “Don’t be such an eejit, you put the milk in the cupboard!”

  Translation: Stop being daft, you’ve put the milk in the wrong spot.

• “Only an eejit would try fixing that plug without turning the mains off.”

  Translation: You’d have to be a complete fool to mess with live electrics.

• “Quit acting the eejit in the back of the car, I’m trying to drive.”

  Translation: Stop messing about and sit properly.

Similar Slang: Gombeen, Amadán, Plonker, Muppet, Wally, Numpty, Pillock, Dope