Word of the Day: Craic

 krak

NOUN

Enjoyable social activity; a good time.

EXAMPLE SENTENCES

“Franklin’s 50th birthday party was such a craic.”

“My neighbors are always up for a craic in the backyard on the weekend.”

“I learned a bit of local slang on my trip to Ireland — most appropriately ‘craic,’ which means ‘a good time.'”

WORD ORIGIN

Irish, 1970s

WHY THIS WORD?

While you’ll hear mostly English in Ireland today, a lot of people still speak Irish, or Gaelic. “Craic” means “a good time,” and you might also hear “fáilte” (“welcome”), “grá” (“love”), and “saoirse” (“freedom”). Fair warning: Don’t try to pronounce any of these words using standard English phonetics. The best way to pick up the pronunciation would be with a trip to Ireland or a chat with a Gaelic speaker.