Every language has its special words, every language has gems that are almost impossible to translate.
And Irish is no exception, indeed, maybe Irish is top of the class when it comes to such words.
One word comes to mind and it is shleeveen, it can also be spelt sleeveen, but the added h gives it even more meaning.
The Google dictionary says it is an Irish-English slang word for a sly, cunning, a smooth-tongued, or untrustworthy person.
That is not too bad a definition, but the word says so much more; there is a wonderful nuance to it and it captures exactly a certain type of person.
You could add to the Google definition, a nasty chancer, a person who pretends to be something else. Shleeveens are nasty people, people who never serve the common good but are experts at pretending they do; maybe self-appointed experts. It's a great word, it even has a touch of onomatopoeia about it. Once you recognise it, it sits so easy with the person.
There are different types of shleeveens, there's the quiet one, who pretends he knows nothing and the pompous one, who pretends he's an expert in everything.
Can a woman be a shleeveen? Probably not.
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