Back to catalogue
7 MIN · Module

Giving Out, Acting the Maggot and Messing

Learn to interpret common Irish English expressions for complaining, joking and troublesome behaviour, and recognise how tone can change their seriousness.

When someone is giving out

Imagine a colleague arrives after a difficult phone call and says He was giving out to me for ten minutes. A learner might imagine that the other person was handing something over. In Irish English, however, giving out commonly refers to complaining, criticising or scolding. The surrounding words help you identify which meaning fits. She was giving out about the…

Sign up to start the lesson

EANE is and always will be free to learn. Create your free account to read the lesson, take the assessment, and earn your credit.

  • Always free, no fees, no hidden surprises
  • No ads, no third-party tracking
  • Earn verifiable European nano-credentials