A darkly humorous slang phrase for two black eyes — the kind you get after a serious fight.
A darkly humorous slang phrase for two black eyes — the kind you get after a serious fight. The joke plays on the idea of someone looking like they're wearing sunglasses due to two swollen, darkened eye sockets. Like many 'Irish X' constructions in old American slang, it emerged from a cultural environment that wasn't always kind to Irish immigrants, though it's been used self-deprecatingly within Irish-American communities too. It's largely dated today but pops up in classic noir fiction and old crime dramas.
He walked into work Monday morning sporting a pair of Irish sunglasses and refused to say a word about the weekend.
Irish sunglasses means: A darkly humorous slang phrase for two black eyes - the kind you get after a serious fight. The joke plays on the idea of someone looking like they're wearing sunglasses due to two swollen,. It is mainly Irish English and may not be understood outside that context. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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A dated and ethnically loaded British slang phrase meaning to have a black eye. The implication that Irish weddings routinely end in brawls reflects the anti-Irish prejudice common in 18th-19th century English society. Entirely archaic and considered offensive by contemporary standards. Documented mainly in historical slang dictionaries.
(slang, archaic) To have a black eye.
(Ireland, slang) Very drunk.
Irish slang for very drunk — so intoxicated that one's eyes are glazed or unfocused. The 'gee' element is a crude Irish slang term for female genitalia, making the literal construction deliberately absurd and irreverent. This kind of vulgar-element compound for describing drunkenness is characteristic of Irish slang's willingness to combine strong language with humor. Used freely in casual Irish speech.
Irish sunglasses means: A darkly humorous slang phrase for two black eyes - the kind you get after a serious fight. The joke plays on the idea of someone looking like they're wearing sunglasses due to two swollen,. It is mainly Irish English and may not be understood outside that context. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
Irish sunglasses means: A darkly humorous slang phrase for two black eyes - the kind you get after a serious fight. The joke plays on the idea of someone looking like they're wearing sunglasses due to. Register: dated, informal. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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(slang) Two black eyes .
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