Last weekend we asked the followers of our MyFermanagh Facebook page to come up with some phrases that you hear and you know instantly the person is from the county.
We had some great responses, so we thought we would share some of the best ones for you to have a laugh at.
Going by some of the responses, Co Fermanagh could almost have its own dictionary of local sayings!
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We particularly enjoyed a response from Valerie Breen, who made reference to a local postman who was happy to fill in both sides of a conversation.
“How ya doing? The best rightly! Haven’t heard this one lately, however it was a greeting used by an old postman to everyone he met. He asked the question and answered it in the one short sentence!”
Here’s a few of the most popular responses to our question:
Cutties and cubs
By far one of the most commented responses to the post was the reference to girls and boys as ‘cutties’ and ‘cubs’.
You’re only a true Co Fermanagh cutty or cub if you use these on a regular basis..
You’ll take a wee cup of tea in your hand
Sure where else would we take it? Maybe we’re all too busy these days to have a seat and take it at the table.
Not a hate
This one you’ll definitely not hear east of the Bann! Roughly translated as "not a chance".
Example: Will you be heading over to Tyrone at the weekend? Not a hate…
Ending our sentences with the word ‘so’
As one keen commenter put it - “Ending our sentences with the word 'so', as if we're about to saying something else in conclusion, but we don't. We just end our sentences with 'so' sometimes.
Couldn’t have put it better myself so…
Ending our sentences with the word 'hi’
While certainly not confined to the Erne county, there is definitely a higher percentage of "hi" in the average Co Fermanagh person.
Often needlessly chucked in at the end as well hi…
I didn't come up Lough Erne in a bubble
Co Fermanagh favourite Adrian Dunbar has seen his own homeplace usurped by the "Lagan" version of this one from Line of Duty.
But we all know the Lough Erne version is the original, so it is.
Quare handlin'
Quite what actually falls into the category of a "quare handlin" isn’t written in stone, but it’s generally an unpleasant situation to deal with.
Come here til I tell ye
This is generally preceded by some form of telling off, usually given when a few cutties or cubs have gotten themselves into a quare handlin'.
Guttees
Again probably not only confined to Co Fermanagh, but we’ll never hear gutters referred to as trainers - we’ll simply not have it.
That’s tara
One of those strange ones which has a wide variety of uses, probably in more negative situations however, or in response to hearing some bad news.
That's a holy tara
This is reserved for particularly bad situations as in the previous one. It would have to be a really shocking set of circumstances for your granda to roll this one out.
Sucking diesel
Another which may be popular in other parts of the West, hopefully no outsiders take this one literally in attempt to fit in.
Let’s just say this means you are "making progress".
Have any other Co Fermanagh sayings that we haven’t included here? Let us know in the comments or send us a message!
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