# Irish Dopers---a little help?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-a-little-help/697804>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 7, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-a-little-help/697804 "2014-09-07T23:18:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-a-little-help/697804/1 "2014-09-07T23:18:21Z")

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Was just reading Wiki’s “Appalachian English” and came across the word “kyarn.” (Pronounced kee-arn.) I never knew how to spell it but was told it meant “greasy (with a “z”) dirt” like the stuff you clean from around stove eyes. But Wiki says it means carrion—dead flesh, such as road kill. I was just wondering if that’s true over there, because it seems a stretch even for us hillbillies to be calling “Supper!” when what we really meant is “Time to clean.” :eek:

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**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-a-little-help/697804/2 "2014-09-08T00:45:09Z")

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I can’t think of any Irish words that fit here.

grease = ramhar

corpse = corp

carnal = collai

soiled, dirty = salach

It does make sense though that the accent itself could take the English words “cairn” “Carrion” and “carnal” into the pronunciation you describe.

I’d also say that you’d be better off asking the Sottish folks to help out. Most Appalachian roots that come from Gaeilge come by way of [Scots-Gaelic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic) (Gaidhlig). There is also a fair bit of [Scots](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_language) influence, which is actually an unrelated Germanic language.

Not very helpful, sorry!

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**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-a-little-help/697804/3 "2014-09-08T05:12:20Z")

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No, it is! Thanks for the links.