cleas nó cóir
/clʲasˠ n̪ˠoː koːɾʲ/word by word
The Irish phrase for trick or treat is cleas nó cóir.
This phrase is used to request candy while making a light-hearted, unstated threat.
Meaning: request for candy tied to an unstated light-hearted threat (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
/clʲasˠ n̪ˠoː koːɾʲ/
Did you know?
- Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival that inspired Halloween, was originally a time to leave food out for spirits to avoid their mischief.
- The word cóir literally means 'proper' or 'fitting' rather than 'treat'.
- In certain regions like Mayo or Ulster, the word nó is often pronounced or spoken as ná, making the phrase sound like cleas ná cóir.
Example sentences for Irish are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Two children stand on a neighbor's doorstep on Halloween.
- OisínCleas nó cóir!Trick or treat!
- NiamhDia duit, Oisín! An bhfuil tú ag coinneal?Hello, Oisín! Are you collecting candy?
- OisínTá, agus tá Niamh anseo freisin.Yes, and Niamh is here too.
- NiamhSeo go leor bonbóns daoibh.Here are plenty of sweets for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “trick or treat” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (cleas, nó, cóir) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cleas, cóir, nó, CC BY-SA 4.0.
