2026-08-02 15:28 UTC
Hiberno-English word/phrase of the day:
Circling Shannon
This is a euphemism for being unwell, extremely drunk, and incapable of action, arising from an incident at Shannon Airport in 1994 when the Russian President Boris Yeltsin was unable to leave the plane, while the Irish Taoiseach Albert Reynolds waited.
#ireland #slang #language
Replies (3)
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@muddle@infosec.exchange 2026-08-03 01:29
@Fionnbharr@mastodon.ie I just remembered that there was a short film that was loosely inspired by the real event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oof6vQhz5PA
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@Fionnbharr@mastodon.ie 2026-08-02 15:31
The plane spent over an hour circling in a holding pattern above the airport because Yeltsin was reportedly too intoxicated to disembark while aides scrambled to sober him up. When the plane finally landed, Yeltsin failed to step off the aircraft, leaving the Irish welcoming party waiting in vain on the tarmac. #ireland #slang #language
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@Iwillyeah@mastodon.ie 2026-08-03 00:48
@Fionnbharr@mastodon.ie I've never heard this phrase, but I dearly wish I could use it with people with just a knowing nod and a bit of side-eye. I suspect I'd only expose myself as an awful weirdo though.