"Right" as intensifier

Posted by TheFallen on September 23, 2002

In Reply to: "Right" as intensifier posted by ESC on September 22, 2002

: : Paddy Sammon, "Greenspeak: Ireland in her Own words" Town-House 19.99 Euros.

: : Reviewed in today's Irish Times, it is a collection of about 2000 Irish-isms. Included are "gobdaw," "gob****e," "sleeveen," and "right."

: : "Right" is defined as an "intensifier - 'right eejit'" supported by a quote from The Limerick Leader: "I like reading the opinions of the food reviewers, always wondering whether they are a right shower of chancers or whether they do, in fact, know how to boil an egg."

: That sounds like a book I'll have to have.

: In West Virginia, my home state, people say, "That's a right smart piece (distance) to walk." Or, "I was right sorry that happened." I guess we got it from the Irish.

In London, we're known to use "right" as an intensifier too... "he's a right idiot" and so on. I doubt we got it from the Irish.