divil a bit
- Thread starter papeya
- Start date
Hi Papeya,
This is a slang saying from Dublin, Ireland. It means "nothing at all". "Divil" is the Dublin pronunciation of the word "devil".
LRV
Yes I can confirm that!
"Divil a bit" is an Irish expression meaning "nothing at all" (My grandmother used it a lot)
Some say the divil is dead, some say the divil is dead
Some say the divil is dead and buried in Killarney
More say he rose again, more say he rose again
More say he rose again and joined the British army
(correction La Reine.. it's not a Dublin expression, much more Cork / Kerry)
"Divil a bit" is an Irish expression meaning "nothing at all" (My grandmother used it a lot)
Some say the divil is dead, some say the divil is dead
Some say the divil is dead and buried in Killarney
More say he rose again, more say he rose again
More say he rose again and joined the British army
(correction La Reine.. it's not a Dublin expression, much more Cork / Kerry)
Up in this part of The Island, Divil a bit of it means, more or less, "I am of the opinion that what you have just said is incorrect." Divil a bit would be enough.
In other words, it is a generalised contradiction that, because it is rather archaic and somewhat stage-Irish, is meant to be interpreted as light-hearted and somewhat frivolous.
In other words, it is a generalised contradiction that, because it is rather archaic and somewhat stage-Irish, is meant to be interpreted as light-hearted and somewhat frivolous.
To take it a bit further. I would have imagined it to have been derived from something along the lines of "T(o t)he devil (with you if) a bit of it (is true)".
But, hold hard there -
I see that Eric Partridge in his Dictionary of Slang has it, and says....
devil a bit (says Punch), the
A firm though jocular negative: colloquial: circa 1850-1910. Without says Punch it goes back to earlyish 17th century: Pepys uses it thus on 3 April 1668.