What do Irish words such as craic, grand, deadly and sound actually mean?
Four words that carry half the conversation. Craic: fun, good company and good talk, as in 'the craic was ninety', meaning the night was as good as it gets. Grand: fine, okay, good enough, and sometimes genuinely great; tone tells you which, and 'it'll be grand' is the national answer to most worries. Deadly: brilliant, the opposite of what it sounds like; a deadly session is the highest praise a night can earn. Sound: good and reliable, said of a person who does the decent thing, a sound man, or used alone to mean thanks, that is great. Our Irish words page carries the fuller set, with pronunciations.
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