sorra
Definition
- Adverb (Irish slang):
- Not; never: "sorra" is used to negate a statement or emphasize absence, often in colloquial Irish English.
- Not a bit: In phrases like "sorra a bit," it means "not at all" or "not a single bit."
Usage Examples
- Adverb:
- Sorra a bit of it did I understand. (I understood not a single bit of it.)
- He said he'd come, but sorra a sight of him did we see. (We saw no sign of him at all.)
- Sorra the day I'll trust him again. (I will never trust him again.)
Advanced Usage
"sorra a one": no one; not a single person.
- Sorra a one turned up for the meeting. (No one at all came to the meeting.)
"sorra a thing": nothing; not a single thing.
- I had sorra a thing to eat all day. (I had nothing to eat all day.)
Variants and Related Words
- Sorra is a variant of sorrow in Irish dialect, but used as a negative adverb.
- Sorra is not directly related to other common English words; it is a distinct dialectal form.
Synonyms
- Not: used to form negation.
- I have not a clue. (I have no idea.)
- Never: at no time.
- I never said that. (I did not say that at any time.)
- Nothing: not anything.
- I got nothing from the deal. (I received no benefit.)
Related Idioms
Sorra a bit: not at all; not even a small amount.
- She laughed, but sorra a bit was she amused. (She laughed, but she was not amused in the slightest.)
Sorra the: used to emphasize negation, meaning "not the" or "no."
- Sorra the penny did he pay. (He paid not a single penny.)