What does “carry on” mean as a noun in Irish English?
Trailer for new comedy series Derry Girls
C1 English listening practice · Irish English · Picked for people who know a lot
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.
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Harder words in this video
These words are harder than C1. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸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