Trailer for new comedy series Derry Girls
C1 English listening practice · Irish English · Curated for advanced learners
What does “carry on” mean as a noun in Irish English?
In Irish and British English, carry on is often a noun meaning “fuss, business, nonsense,” not the verb “continue.” When the Derry Girls trailer says “the whole sectarian conflict carry on,” it’s downplaying the Northern Irish Troubles as if they were a bit of bother. The joke depends on hearing that casual dismissal.
The whole flavour of British and Irish comedy works this way: heavy history shrunk to playground language, understatement as the default. Carry on is a core verb of that style, used in pubs, sitcoms, and tabloid headlines whenever something serious gets framed as merely annoying.
Vocabulary frequency
How common is the vocabulary in this C1 English listening practice listening practice?
General English frequency
Spoken English frequency
Words above this video’s level
Quick glosses for vocabulary that goes beyond this video’s C1 level.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.
- ▸In British and Irish sitcoms (Derry Girls, Father Ted, Fleabag, Peep Show)
- ▸In Irish/British family arguments, where minimizing serious things is national sport
- ▸In pub conversation about “the whole [political event] carry on”
- ▸In British tabloid headlines downplaying scandal as “the X carry on”
- ▸In any RTÉ, BBC, or Channel 4 documentary about The Troubles