Meaning of mahogany gaspipe | Babel Free

Definitions

a representation of how the Irish language sounds to a non-speaker; gobbledegook.

Ireland, dated, slang

Examples

“It is completely false to suggest that Irish was ever the natural or the native language of this city of Dublin, or of any of our other cities. I always think that Dubliners' attitude to the Irish language is summed up in four words: “Tá sé mahogany gas-pipe”.”

“"Thaw shay mahogany gas-pipes" is a venerable native witticism. It is the facetious Gaelic sally of a person without Gaelic. Suitably mouthed, it sounds frightfully Irish. Leaguers resent it as a sneer.”

“"Buy Irish" is a strongly ritualistic tradition ever since the infancy of the Gaelic League whin all Irish islanders wore Irish tweed and according to Myles na Gopaleen had only to say "Mahogany Gas Pipes" at a ceili to be immediately accepted as native Irish speakers.”

“I've no idea what they're going on about - it's all mahogany gaspipe to me - but next thing Brendan tips me the nod and a wink and gives me to understand that the job is oxo.”

“The original ‘Italian’ reads ‘Raphèl maí amèche zabí almi’, which Carson renders as ‘Yin twa maghogani gazpaighp boke!’, blending Ulster-Scots and ‘mahogany gaspipe’, the non-Irish-speaker's proverbial idea of what the language sounds like.”

CEFR level