# Irish Dopers,  need help with slang, por favor.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-need-help-with-slang-por-favor/239594>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [April 12, 2004, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-need-help-with-slang-por-favor/239594 "2004-04-12T12:51:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-need-help-with-slang-por-favor/239594/1 "2004-04-12T12:51:54Z")

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I was reading a rather humorous article here in Detroit about a really weathly man and his wife of 38 days having a long, protracted divorce. In the end it cost him 2 million dollars to get rid of her, but this question isn’t about that.

She accused him of a racial slur, which in Ireland, isn’t exactly completementary ( and the irony is was she wasn’t natural born Irish either, at least the article didn’t state it. I am pretty sure she was a many-generationed money grubbing gold digger.

" Lebidge" ( I think that is the spelling)

So, what is the scoop on this word.

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**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-need-help-with-slang-por-favor/239594/2 "2004-04-12T14:25:51Z")

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> [@Shirley Ujest](#):
>
> She accused him of a racial slur, which in Ireland, isn’t exactly completementary ( and the irony is was she wasn’t natural born Irish either, at least the article didn’t state it. I am pretty sure she was a many-generationed money grubbing gold digger.
> 
> " Lebidge" ( I think that is the spelling)
> 
> So, what is the scoop on this word.

It looks like the Irish word “leibide” (pronounced approximately “lebbidgeh”) which means a clumsy fool. It is common for English-speakers in Ireland to use Irish-language epithets or insults, such as amadán, óinseach, slíbhín, etc.

Not a racial slur though!