cultural literacy 43 Flashcards
Crumlin Road
West Belfast street, north of Shankill Road, mixed Protestant and Catholic
Shankill Road
West Belfast street, south of Crumlin Road, Loyalist stronghold
Falls Road
West Belfast street, south of Shankill Road, Catholic
Shankill Butchers
Loyalist Ulster gang
“Soldier Doll”
term of derision in the Troubles used by Catholics to refer to Catholic girls who consorted with British soldiers; they often experienced public shaming (tied up, tarred and feathered, heads shaved)
Give My Head Peace
1990s sitcom on BBC Northern Ireland sending up sectarianism during the Troubles
Resurrection Man
1998 horror film set in Northern Ireland and based on the Shankill Butcher killings
The Outcasts
Belfast punk band in the 70s and 80s
Maze Prison, “the H-blocks”
two alternative names for what was originally called the Long Kesh Detention Center (which housed IRA prisoners in Northern Ireland)
“blanket man”
after the revocation of special treatment in prison for IRA prisoners, under which they enjoyed essentially political prisoner status, those who refused to follow directives for regular prisoners (wear uniforms and do prison work) were thrown into a cell and given a blanket
“dirty protest”
escalation of the blanket protest, in which IRA prisoners spread feces on cell walls and refused to bathe
pram
British term for baby stroller
interface (Northern Ireland)
street with Catholic neighborhood on one side and Protestant neighborhood on the other
Greenfinch
female soldier in the UDF during the Troubles
UDF
Ulster Defense Force
RUC
Royal Ulster Constabulary
UDR
Ulster Defense Regiment (British Army unit composed of residents of Northern Ireland)
DUP
Democratic Unionist Party
“ourselves alone”
common English translation of the Irish nationalist slogan “Sinn Fein” (literally “ourselves” or “we ourselves”)
“B.A.” (Troubles)
British Army (i.e. soldiers)
supergrass
informant (British slang)
knickerbocker glory
a British dessert with ice cream, wafer, gelatin, fruit, and syrup, served commonly in roadside diners or family restaurants in the British Isles
punt (currency)
Irish pound, used in Ireland until adoption of the Euro in 2002
“The Rose”
Bette Midler (“Some say love/it is a river…”)
Jaffa (cake)
orange-flavored snack cake in the UK; “Jaffa” is a slur used by Catholics in British Isles against Protestants
foundered
to be freezing, overwhelmed by cold (Scots or Irish English slang)
shift it; get it shifted
move it (get a move on, let’s go); get it moved/removed (Irish)
wheelie bin
trash bin with wheels (put out for trash or recycling)
Strabane
town in county Tyrone, Northern Ireland, near Derry
Coleraine
town in northern part of Northern Ireland
Abrakebabra
Mediterranean fast food chain in Ireland and Northern Ireland, sends out gold cards (free Döner Kebabs for life) to celebrities who mention chain’s name
Take That
90’s boy band from Manchester
balaclava
ski mask
Egyptian faience
artificial gemstone made of glass, bright blue in color
gorget
piece of military plate armor worn around the neck as protection or as ornamentation
wattle and daub
a composite building method in which a woven lattice of wooden strips (wattle) is daubed with a sticky material
crannog
early type of dwelling found in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, an artificial island laboriously constructed in the middle of a lake
La Tène
European Iron Age culture concentrated among the Celts of Central Europe
torc
a large rigid or stiff neck ring of metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together, common in La Tène culture of the Celts
torque
another term for a torc
Táin Bó Cúailnge
epic from Irish mythology written in prose and verse, tells of a war between Ulster and Connacht, with an attempt to steal a bull as part of an attack
“The Tain”, “The Cattle Raid of Cooley”
two unofficial names for the work Táin Bó Cúailnge
Cú Chulainn
the demigod hero of Ulster who opposes the cattle raid by the king and queen of Connacht in the epic Táin Bó Cúailnge
distraint
the seizure of someone’s property in order to obtain payment of rent or other money owed, especially in common law countries
distress (law)
another term for distraint
harridan
scolding, vicious woman; hag, shrew
AACCTT 2212 (LLL), 5M’s, W
mnemonic for Shakespeare’s comedies
Henry 4(2)5(1)6(3)VIII(1); Richard 2, 3; John
Shakespeare’s histories
minder
Cockney slang for bodyguard
Minder
British comedy/crime drama about a petty schemer
West Belfast street, north of Shankill Road, mixed Protestant and Catholic
Crumlin Road
West Belfast street, south of Crumlin Road, Loyalist stronghold
Shankill Road
West Belfast street, south of Shankill Road, Catholic
Falls Road
Loyalist Ulster gang
Shankill Butchers
term of derision in the Troubles used by Catholics to refer to Catholic girls who consorted with British soldiers; they often experienced public shaming (tied up, tarred and feathered, heads shaved)
“Soldier Doll”
1990s sitcom on BBC Northern Ireland sending up sectarianism during the Troubles
Give My Head Peace
1998 horror film set in Northern Ireland and based on the Shankill Butcher killings
Resurrection Man
Belfast punk band in the 70s and 80s
The Outcasts
two alternative names for what was originally called the Long Kesh Detention Center (which housed IRA prisoners in Northern Ireland)
Maze Prison, “the H-blocks”
after the revocation of special treatment in prison for IRA prisoners, under which they enjoyed essentially political prisoner status, those who refused to follow directives for regular prisoners (wear uniforms and do prison work) were thrown into a cell and given a blanket
“blanket man”
escalation of the blanket protest, in which IRA prisoners spread feces on cell walls and refused to bathe
“dirty protest”
British term for baby stroller
pram
street with Catholic neighborhood on one side and Protestant neighborhood on the other
interface (Northern Ireland)
female soldier in the UDF during the Troubles
Greenfinch
Ulster Defense Force
UDF
Royal Ulster Constabulary
RUC
Ulster Defense Regiment (British Army unit composed of residents of Northern Ireland)
UDR
Democratic Unionist Party
DUP
common English translation of the Irish nationalist slogan “Sinn Fein” (literally “ourselves” or “we ourselves”)
“ourselves alone”
British Army (i.e. soldiers)
“B.A.” (Troubles)
informant (British slang)
supergrass
a British dessert with ice cream, wafer, gelatin, fruit, and syrup, served commonly in roadside diners or family restaurants in the British Isles
knickerbocker glory
Irish pound, used in Ireland until adoption of the Euro in 2002
punt (currency)
Bette Midler (“Some say love/it is a river…”)
“The Rose”
orange-flavored snack cake in the UK; “Jaffa” is a slur used by Catholics in British Isles against Protestants
Jaffa (cake)
to be freezing, overwhelmed by cold (Scots or Irish English slang)
foundered
move it (get a move on, let’s go); get it moved/removed (Irish)
shift it; get it shifted
trash bin with wheels (put out for trash or recycling)
wheelie bin
town in county Tyrone, Northern Ireland, near Derry
Strabane
town in northern part of Northern Ireland
Coleraine
Mediterranean fast food chain in Ireland and Northern Ireland, sends out gold cards (free Döner Kebabs for life) to celebrities who mention chain’s name
Abrakebabra
90’s boy band from Manchester
Take That
ski mask
balaclava
artificial gemstone made of glass, bright blue in color
Egyptian faience
piece of military plate armor worn around the neck as protection or as ornamentation
gorget
a composite building method in which a woven lattice of wooden strips (wattle) is daubed with a sticky material
wattle and daub
early type of dwelling found in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, an artificial island laboriously constructed in the middle of a lake
crannog
European Iron Age culture concentrated among the Celts of Central Europe
La Tène
a large rigid or stiff neck ring of metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together, common in La Tène culture of the Celts
torc
another term for a torc
torque
epic from Irish mythology written in prose and verse, tells of a war between Ulster and Connacht, with an attempt to steal a bull as part of an attack
Táin Bó Cúailnge
two unofficial names for the work Táin Bó Cúailnge
“The Tain”, “The Cattle Raid of Cooley”
the demigod hero of Ulster who opposes the cattle raid by the king and queen of Connacht in the epic Táin Bó Cúailnge
Cú Chulainn
the seizure of someone’s property in order to obtain payment of rent or other money owed, especially in common law countries
distraint
another term for distraint
distress (law)
scolding, vicious woman; hag, shrew
harridan
mnemonic for Shakespeare’s comedies
AACCTT 2212 (LLL), 5M’s, W
Shakespeare’s histories
Henry 4(2)5(1)6(3)VIII(1); Richard 2, 3; John
Cockney slang for bodyguard
minder
British comedy/crime drama about a petty schemer
Minder