Visitors to Ireland's southern city of Cork might find themselves completely baffled by local conversations, where Brussels sprouts are called "balls of the cabbage" and a warning to be careful is expressed as being "doggy wide." To help outsiders navigate this unique linguistic landscape, a retired mathematics professor has compiled a comprehensive new dictionary decoding the city's rich, playful, and sometimes crude street slang.
The book, Langers & Lashes: A Compendium of Cork Slang, was published in July 2026 and aims to document a dialect that is far more extensive than those of other Irish cities like Dublin or Galway.
The author, 80-year-old Des MacHale, is an unlikely chronicler of language. Originally from County Mayo, he is a retired mathematics professor from University College Cork. Despite living in Cork for 55 years, he jokes that locals still view him as a "blow-in"—an outsider. To create the compendium, MacHale gathered material from conversations with residents and drew on two out-of-print books.
Among MacHale's favorite terms is "langer," a versatile word that can mean an idiot, drunkenness, or a body part depending on the context and tone. Other colorful expressions featured in the book include a "belly bachelor," which describes an opportunist who makes friends just to get free meals, and "bozzer," meaning an attractive person.
While many of the slang words are lighthearted, the book's publisher, Mercier, has added explanatory notes to address the historical context of certain terms that reflect outdated social views. Mercier stated that retaining these historical terms serves as a record of the past, encouraging contemporary speakers to embrace the city's famous wit while rejecting harmful stereotypes.