# Need some Irish, Scottish and Austrailian Slang **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 4, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566 "2004-10-04T23:35:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr.Starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dr.Starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Starfish)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/1 "2004-10-04T23:35:55Z")
Hello. I need some Irish, Scottish and Austrailian slang terms for tomboys, tough girls and women. ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/2 "2004-10-05T03:18:42Z")
Scottish, Irish, and Australian women and girls are all tough. There is, therefore, no slang to point out any one in particular for having this quality. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/3 "2004-10-05T03:42:36Z")
You hear the Irish talking about “good crack” every once in a while, but they’re not referring to the girls, necessarily. (Yes, I know, it’s really “craic”, and I’m already going to Hell, so what harm.) ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/4 "2004-10-05T07:38:02Z")
Tomboy is all I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/5 "2004-10-05T07:50:44Z")
There’s the Australian word “sheila”, meaning a woman. But I don’t know whether it’s actually used very much in conversation. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/6 "2004-10-05T10:25:16Z")
A tough girl/woman can be called “a right bruiser” eg. She’s a right bruiser that one over there. ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/7 "2004-10-05T10:34:37Z")
In Ireland - probably more specifically down around Cork and those parts - a tough woman is often called a wagon. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/8 "2004-10-05T10:39:04Z")
Another Irish one for a woman who is devious or obnoxious (though not necessarily tomboyish) would be “wagon”. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/9 "2004-10-05T10:40:43Z")
Oops, should have previewed. Some wagon got in before me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/10 "2004-10-05T10:44:01Z")
Tough lassies in Scotland might be called “Stoaters”. ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/11 "2004-10-05T10:58:40Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Oops, should have previewed. Some wagon got in before me. 😉 Oi, you; watch who you’re calling devious or obnoxious (though not necessarily tomboyish). You langer. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![wilsta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@wilsta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wilsta)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/12 "2004-10-05T11:13:43Z")
Aussies might refer to her as a bit “blokey” ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/13 "2004-10-05T11:32:07Z")
> [@Dr. Starfish](#): > > Hello. I need some Irish, Scottish and Austrailian slang terms for tomboys, tough girls and women. Scots terms; a nedette. A female ned. A “wee hairy”. These are derogatory terms for a ‘tough girl’, usually of the “unrefined” type, rather than descriptions of a tomboy. Can’t think of any for tomboy. > [@SentientMeat](#): > > Tough lassies in Scotland might be called “Stoaters” This isn’t right. Stoater means ‘excellent’ or ‘powerful’. A Stoater would therefore be more of a powerfully attractive woman, usually of below average height. Hence; “she was a wee stoater”. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/14 "2004-10-05T11:42:35Z")
Slightly different but the Aussie slang “built like a brick shithouse” means someone of stocky build and can be applied to women (usually derogatory). ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/15 "2004-10-05T11:57:33Z")
A ‘scrubber’ is a usually derogatory term for a rough female in Aussiespeak. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/16 "2004-10-05T11:59:47Z")
In Britain too. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/17 "2004-10-05T12:25:25Z")
> [@MaryEFoo](#): > > Scottish, Irish, and Australian women and girls are all tough. > > There is, therefore, no slang to point out any one in particular for having this quality. > > 😃 I think this is the closest so far. Someone who didn’t quite make the grade might get called a “girly-girl”, and someone who overstepped might get called “butch”. It wouldn’t be a good idea to actually use those terms to someone’s face, though. Of course, if you know a good dentist, and you’ve already decided to have all those pearly whites replaced, take the gamble. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/18 "2004-10-05T12:46:58Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Slightly different but the Aussie slang “built like a brick shithouse” means someone of stocky build and can be applied to women (usually derogatory). Cecil: [How did the phrase “built like a brick shithouse” get to be a compliment?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030704.html) Worth a look. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dr.Starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Starfish)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/19 "2004-10-07T22:04:06Z")
What about Scottish, Irish and Austrailian synonyms for “sprightly, lively or energetic girls/women”? I know “eirog” is an Irish one. Can the Scottish term “Bonnie fechter” be used as a term for a female? Are “Chuzzwozza” and “Thomperson” Austrailian terms for tomboy? What about terms for good women, amazons, troublemakers, attractive women/females, physically fit women/girls? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566/20 "2004-10-07T22:09:43Z")
I remember, in Ireland, people I knew saying they were going to the pub to check out the “talent”, meaning they were going to see if there were any attractive people present. It wasn’t a gender-specific term, so far as I could tell. “Liam, we’re for Nancy Spain’s tonight. How was the talent?” “Oh, Christ, don’t go, it was desperate.” I never heard a handsome boy or pretty girl described as being “talented”, however. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-irish-scottish-and-austrailian-slang/267566.md?page=2)