Irish Slang For Funny (Explained!)

The most common Irish slang term for funny is “gas”. This is more or less universal across the country and is essentially a simple stand in for the word funny, though you might also say it means “very funny”. Other terms you might hear are common ones like “riot” or “knee-slapping”. “Creasing” means you find something very funny.

There are many terms used in Ireland for funny, then, but by far the most common and most quintessentially Irish is certainly “gas”.

This is used by most Irish people to some extent, or at the very least you can be sure they’ll understand the term if they don’t use it themselves.

Let’s find out more.

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What do the Irish say for “funny”?

The most common Irish slang word used to mean funny is “gas”.

This can be used in just about any context, and is common throughout the country and among virtually all generations.

Generally speaking it does have the sense of “very funny” rather than just funny.

For example, it might be the word you use exclusively when something is very funny, as opposed to just saying something is funny in a milder sense.

On the other hand, though, many Irish people simply use it very liberally whenever they need to use the word “funny”.

“We had a really nice date, he’s so gas!” for example.

Here, it just means the person is funny in general.

“Gas” is certainly the most common and most quintessentially Irish slang term for funny.

Similar slang terms do exist in other English speaking dialects, but it is not really used in this way.

You might say something was “a gas”, meaning it was overall a funny experience—but this could also just mean it was fun.

Generally, the Irish are the only ones that use the slang term in this sense.

Having said that, many broader slang terms for funny in the English speaking world are used widely in Ireland, too.

“Riot” for example is a very common term for funny in Ireland.

For example, “he’s a riot” or “tonight was a riot!”

It has the sense that something was extremely funny, and again usually in the sense of the overall experience, rather than one specific thing.

“Creasing” is a commonly used slang phrase in Ireland.

While it strictly means you are laughing extremely hard at something, it can also be used in the broader sense simply of funny.

“That was so funny, absolutely creasing,” for example.

These are among the most common Irish slang terms for funny—so where do they come from?

Why do the Irish say “gas”?

This term is relatively recent, and it is first cited as being used in this sense in James Joyce’s monumental 1914 short story connection, Dubliners.

The slang no doubt predated this by sometime at least, but Joyce is the first recorded example.

It’s likely that the term was based on the older sense of “it’s a gas”, which ultimately derived from the use of nitrous oxide and its effects for medical purposes.

Nitrous oxide, also called laughing gas, was used as a mild sedative during operations or dental treatment.

It induced feelings of euphoria and, predictably, often led to uncontrollable laughter.

Thus, it came to be a more general slang term for laughter and mirth, and ultimately was popularized by James Joyce and other major Irish figures.

Why do the Irish say “riot”?

It’s not really clear when the term “riot” started being used as a general slang term for funny in Ireland.

It does seem to have gotten started elsewhere first.

The word itself is naturally very old, ultimately deriving from the Old French word riote which simply meant a debate.

It probably came to mean funny at some point in the 20^th Century, though this again is not entirely clear—it may have been earlier.

In Ireland today, it’s a lot more common among older generations.

It simply arose out of the sense of a riot as being a chaotic event, and thus it induces chaotic laughter because it is so funny.

More than this, it is very difficult to say with any certainty.

Ireland tends to take on slang from elsewhere in the English speaking world fairly quickly.

Why do the Irish say “creasing”?

“Creasing” is generally thought of as more of a British than an irish slang, but it is certainly used in Ireland almost to the same extent.

It is much more common among the younger generations than the old, however.

That said, most will still understand it. It’s thought that it originated simply out of the fact that your face creases up and goes wrinkly when you are laughing really hard.

Thus, “creasing” more means that you are laughing really hard rather than that something is strictly funny, but naturally something had to be funny for you to be creasing in the first place!

It’s not clear when this term started being used, though again it is not all that old.

It seems to have been popularized in recent years by the internet and social media.

So, while “gas” is certainly the most common and the most uniquely Irish term for funny, it isn’t the only one that gets used.

There are many English slang terms that are widely used in Ireland outside of “gas,” but again, they are a lot less common than “gas”.

You can expect to hear “gas” much more often than you’ll hear any other term used.

More in Irish Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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