Bold
Naughty, mischievous, badly behaved, especially of a child. Distinct from the standard English sense of brave or daring. An Irish parent calling a child bold is reprimanding, not praising. Used affectionately or seriously depending on tone.
Etymology
The Hiberno-English sense is a semantic shift from standard English 'bold' (brave, daring), which comes from Old English 'beald'. The shift to mean naughty likely came through the older English sense of 'forward, presumptuous' (compare 'a bold question'). Irish English preserved that older nuance and applied it specifically to children misbehaving. Standard English moved on; Irish English kept the older meaning and made it the dominant one in domestic speech.
In a sentence
He's a bold little fella - took the biscuit when I wasn't looking. - a parental observation
Sit down, you - you've been awful bold today. - a domestic reprimand
Historical notes
Bold is one of the most reliable markers of Hiberno-English in everyday family life. Visitors are routinely surprised to hear a mother tell her son he has been very bold today in a tone that clearly is not praise. The range is wide: a child who has thrown a tantrum is bold, a teenager who has stayed out late is bold, a dog that has chewed a shoe is bold. The standard English meaning still works in Irish English ('a bold move'), but context flags it.
Sources
- Oxford English Dictionary, entry bold (sense 'forward, presumptuous'). · dictionary
- Hickey, Raymond. Irish English: History and Present-Day Forms. Cambridge University Press, 2007. · academic