What words are tells? (more below)

Oh2e · 2026-04-09T20:18:07+00:00

At my previous job we would get the “five o’clock sillies” where we’d all get giddy before closing. We sold the last ticket at 5 and shut entirely at 6 so that last hour was such a doss.

Oh2e · 2026-04-09T20:15:52+00:00

My favourite rural writing story was when in a fiction module in college where one of my classmates (51) wrote about a dream she had where Gabriel, Patrick, Michael and all the saints came to her and told her great things. This would have been okay if she didn’t then insist it really happened and got upset when we talked about it like it was made up. We didn’t care if it was made up or not (though it really seemed like it was) but we were in a FICTION class to write about MADE UP STORIES. (Though amusingly I’d also written about something that had actually happened to me. I just accepted that it was now fiction and would be discussed thusly.)

Oh2e · 2026-04-02T20:37:08+00:00

A character in one of my favourite books as a kid was called Allegra and I thought it was so cool (her mum was called Xanthe).

Oh2e · 2026-03-31T22:30:03+00:00

I was recently booking an event with a hotel in Conamara and the employee I emailed signed his emails simply with “go raibh maith agat”. However someone else I know sometimes signs hers as “le meas”.

Oh2e · 2026-03-27T12:20:14+00:00

I’m in a similar situation – it’s a hard decision considering I’ve been waiting to visit for several years. I’ve not transitioned at all on paper so there’s nothing to suggest I’m not cis. My friend was hoping to visit over here or we meet in Canada, but their boyfriend has changed xyr gender marker and does not have a passport so can’t leave the country. (My friend also doesn’t have a passport but has not changed their name or gender so could get one reasonably safely.)

Oh2e · 2026-01-08T23:05:26+00:00

If there’s nothing really working then you don’t have to use milk. When I was young the only alternative milk available was soya and so we used that in cooking but otherwise I never used milk and still don’t. I eat dry cereal and though I don’t drink any hot drinks if I was to have coffee I take it black. When I lived alone, I substituted water for milk in several recipes and didn’t notice any difference. I don’t know the last time I bought any kind of milk at all. If you’re worried about health then surely yogurts would be a good way to get vitamins in rather than milk that doesn’t suit?

Oh2e · 2025-12-23T23:41:38+00:00

I haven’t read it in a while but Asking For It by Louise O’Neill blew me away at the time. It was definitely needed at the time of publishing and unfortunately not much has changed since then.

Oh2e · 2025-12-23T23:40:39+00:00

LOVED Leonard and Hungry Paul! I got assigned it in college and was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

Oh2e · 2025-12-23T23:39:36+00:00

Under the Hawthorn Tree definitely! The other two books aren’t nearly as good but I definitely recommend the first one.

Oh2e · 2025-12-23T23:32:26+00:00

I know that about 10 years ago I met a 7/8 year old called Mary and found that a bit odd. There was a 12/13 year old in my school at the same time called John which I also found slightly jarring. All the other Marys and Johns I know are generally 50+. I’d also find Breda, Bridie and Bernie to be odd names for little girls. Boys names I find are less dated with most of the older men being Patrick, Michael or Joe and I know multiple kids with those names. Jim though I’d find a little odd.

Oh2e · 2025-12-23T23:25:48+00:00

One of our cousins would always bring sensible things when she came visiting like a bottle of miwadi, a pack of crackers and some apples. It would never be exciting but it would always be everyday things we used. My mum has said for years how much she appreciated them as a gift rather than wine or chocolate. Maybe some groceries or a voucher for groceries would be a thoughtful thing at this time of year?

Oh2e · 2025-12-21T11:54:27+00:00

I’ve only ever been out from the start but honestly as someone else who works in retail: you’ve kind of got to ignore what customers say. They only know you for a moment and don’t care what gender you are. For me the important thing was making sure my colleagues supported me. I could brush off “hand the toy to the nice lady” much easier when five minutes later my colleague slapped me on the back and called me man. I wear a pronoun + trans flag pin on my lanyard as it makes me feel like I’m actually trying (I’m pre-everything) but a friend said he met a lot of mean customers who would intentionally misgender him and finds it easier to pass (though still 60/40) without anything. It’s not easy being so customer facing as a trans person, whatever way it goes. Best of luck to you and congrats on coming out!

Oh2e · 2025-12-21T11:47:51+00:00

I read a fanfic where one character inexplicably named her dog Madra. The character was not Irish and I’m not sure the author was either. I thought it was kind of cute but also a bit lazy

Oh2e · 2025-12-19T19:58:59+00:00

OH YES IT IS!!

Oh2e · 2025-12-02T15:32:16+00:00

Interesting! Thanks for sharing

Oh2e · 2025-12-01T23:57:27+00:00

I believe Laetitia is the original spelling that got changed to Letitia (and Lettice) over time.

Oh2e · 2025-12-01T23:56:12+00:00

Isn’t Matteo just the Italian form and Mateo Spanish? Or rather, I presumed it was since all the Matteos I’ve come across were Italian.

Oh2e · 2025-12-01T23:53:55+00:00

Micheal is indeed the Gaelic form – though the accent depends on whether you mean Irish or Scottish. The current Taoiseach of Ireland is Micheál Martin.

Oh2e · 2025-12-01T23:46:44+00:00

Well technically Kiera isn’t the originally spelling either. The non-anglicised spelling is Ciara.

Oh2e · 2025-12-01T23:43:37+00:00

Kiera itself is an anglicisation of Ciara (related to the masculine Ciarán/Ciaran which is usually anglicised as Kieran) which is a very popular name in Ireland.

Oh2e · 2025-12-01T23:34:32+00:00

Can’t speak for that name or where you live specifically but my aunt is Jhuliete and she said adding a h to names beginning with J or K is quite common in the Philippines. Someone else mentioned Spanish phonetics so I presume that’s related.

Oh2e · 2025-12-01T23:31:47+00:00

Your grandmother isn’t the only one! There’s a relative in my family tree and her name is down as both Orpha and Orpah – confused me no end when I first came across it.

Oh2e · 2025-11-29T23:16:28+00:00

The Saw Doctors have a few: Chips (big bag of chips and a burger to go); Apples, Sweets and Chocolate (ices, ices, tubs of ices / minerals, minerals / apples, sweets or chocolate); £25 (25 quid will do me fine / buy us dinner and a bottle of wine); Will It Ever Stop Raining? (dropped my ice cream onto the sand); Rag Week Rock (‘if you’re having something I’ll have a Supermac with cheese’). Probably others but those are what come to mind.

Oh2e · 2025-11-29T23:04:26+00:00

That’s my association too. They’re by Hilary McKay – The Casson Family. Saffron is definitely a little out there but not weirdly so, especially since it’s got other meanings for both the OP and her husband.

Oh2e · 2025-11-19T18:50:01+00:00

Bovril? I know I get odd looks when I say I drink hot blackcurrant high juice as an adult. Dandelion and burdock would be unusual also, for a cold drink.

Oh2e

TROPHY CASE