Dear Irish Language Forum,

I am working on a story where two women are recovering after some other women who have treated them with social disrespect and cruelty.

One of the women bore the brunt of the ridicule, and the other is comforting her. They are both American, but one speaks Irish. The comforting woman says "In my neighborhood we'd call women like that ____________." "What does that mean?" To which she replies, "Bitches!" And they share a small laugh.

Can someone give me the slang in Irish that would be used here. Thank you!

SEAN LOUIS TRACI

I think bitse (pl. bitsí) is used in the Connemara Gaeltacht nowadays, but that may be a bit too obvious for the context.

You could use something like deargbhitsí "absolute bitches", but you might have to change the back-translation (or not, as the case may be).

Other possibilities:

straip (pl. straipeanna) "nasty strong-headed woman.; vixen, shrew" but also means "harlot"
rálach (pl. rálacha) "Nasty woman, cow" but also means "harlot"

Await further input ...

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

Or we could go with Ros na Rún's Tadhg's favorite derogatory epithet for women: striapacha (for the OP, that means "whores").

Redwolf

Guys,

thanks so much for the quick input. I love the "absolute bitches" translation. Here's how I'm using it. Please let me know if I am incorrect.

The character Mary had just been ridiculed for being boring, fat and horse-faced, compared to Bess Truman in the period.

Mary was standing in front of her kitchen sink looking outside at the two women sitting in her garden. Water poured from the spigot into the empty white porcelain basin. Her hand deflected a small part of the stream as if she was waiting for it to come to temperature. She was reliving the ignominious moment in her head, frozen in the stance waiting for cold water. The two servants working in the kitchen had stopped their prepping of lunch, watching their mistress. My mother politely took the role of leader and addressed the help, “Ladies, we are prepared to eat, if you please.” Obediently they went back to task, “Yes ma’am.” My mother approached Mary at the sink, turning off the water, she placed a hand on the shoulder of the big woman. Mary said to the window, “I’ve known those women for nearly a year. They have never spoken a kind word to me once.” My mother sensed the depth of the wound, increasing her touch and support on Mary’s shoulder. Mrs. Hillenkoetter continued, “I am like Bess Truman. I met her once, you know. She was very nice. I am not ashamed that I prefer to be in the company of friends, not bitterness.” My mother said, “So do I.” Mary Hillenkoetter looked as if she did not know how to go on with the day. She seemed like she was going to cry at any moment, moisture welled up in her eyes. My mother said, “Back in Brockton we had a word for women like them. We called them ‘dearghbitsi’.” Mary snapped from her trance, blinking back the tears she turned to my mother, “What does that mean?” “Absolute bitches.” There was a pause from the shock of the profanity, and then a simultaneous eruption of laughter, big teeth and all.

Best regards

SEAN LOUIS TRACI

The ones I've heard are "toice/toicí" and "caillichín" for a little girl.

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The dialect I use is Cork Irish.
Ar sgáth a chéile a mhairid na daoine, lag agus láidir, uasal is íseal

Nice passage, Seán, but you'll need to watch the spelling. The h comes after the b and the final i has a síneadh fada on it (like an acute accent), thusly:

deargbhitsí

If it helps, dearg- is an intensifying prefix from the word for "red", and like most prefixes in Irish it lenites (softens) the b in bitsí to bhitsí, slender bh being a v sound.

_________________
Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).