If you’ve never heard this phrase, then catch yourself on.
The English language used in Ireland is full of slang, colloquialisms and idioms. For such a small place, we have a large variation when it comes to how we sound.
Accents and dialects can vary from county to county, town to town and sometimes even village to village. We can pinpoint where someone is from solely based on their word usage or speech patterns.
Ireland is famous for some slang phrases, such as “What’s the craic?” and “Sure, go on”. Other terms are localised to specific parts of the country. The phrase “catch yourself on” is used in many parts of Northern Ireland.
Catch yourself on − the Irish slang phrase meaning explained
You may have come across this slang phrase before if you were an avid watcher of the Northern Irish TV phenomenon Derry Girls. They use the saying “catch yourself on” in many comical ways throughout the series.
When you tell someone to “catch yourself on”, according to Urban Dictionary, you are basically telling them “to stop being so ridiculous and to come back down to Earth.”
The phrase is used in a similar way to the other Irish slang term “wise up”, which is a way of telling someone to rethink their actions with more wisdom. Both of these terms are basically Irish slang variations of the common phrase “grow up”.
The Collins Dictionary has an entry for a similar phrase, “catch oneself on”, which is defined as “to realise that one’s actions are mistaken.
In the show Derry Girls, the phrase is used often by the main character Erin Quinn, who is often dismissive of her friends’ ludicrous ideas.
The other character who uses the phrase often is Erin’s mammy, Mary Quinn, who is dismissive of her daughter’s equally ludicrous ideas.
Making appearances on-screen – it’s certainly mentioned a few times
In the second episode of the series, Mary says to her daughter, “Dip into your trust fund? … I just need to ring the bank. 7654321, that’s the account number and the password. What is it again? What was it now? Oh, aye, catch yourself on!”
Another episode in the series sees Erin reply with “£2? Catch yourself on” when her friend, Clare, asks her to sponsor her a couple of pounds. Erin also utters it in response to her aunt Sarah reading tarot cards for her friend Michelle.
Derry Girls isn’t the only TV show to feature Irish characters using the phrase. The long-running British soap Coronation Street features Northern Irish blow-in Jim McDonald uttering the slang phrase here and there during his appearances.
Before the first season of Derry Girls aired on Channel 4, the broadcaster issued a list of slang terms from the show, which they coined the ‘Derry glossary”.
The list included the slang terms as well as a definition. They offered the definition of “catch yourself on” as “don’t be so ridiculous”, which we think is pretty spot on.
Also featured on the list are local terms such as “slabber”, “head melter”, and “no bother”. Since Channel 4 is a UK broadcaster, they wanted to prep viewers from outside Northern Ireland, who may not be used to the colloquialisms.
Learning the lingo – how to incorporate the phrase into your conversations
If you wish to introduce “catch yourself on” into your own daily lingo, simply use it as a response to silly ideas and suggestions. It can be used in a lighthearted manner or in a dismissive manner. It just depends upon the user’s intent.
Be aware that the term is a slang phrase and is used in informal settings. It isn’t something to include in a work-related email.
Also, since it can be lighthearted or dismissive, it may be best to avoid typing this phrase to a stranger, as it may be interpreted incorrectly.
It’s always fun learning new phrases; it helps define a place. Slang connects people in communities, helping build bonds and relationships.
Local phrases establish a shared language, so even within a larger language, such as English, there are localised versions.
We hope to see more Irish slang phrases on TV in the future. If you visit Ireland, don’t be afraid to throw out a few phrases here or there. The locals appreciate visitors joining in on the Irish sarcasm.
