(noun, slang — Australian-
Irish, satirical)
1. A tongue-in-cheek, humorous term used to refer to an Irish person, originally used sarcastically to suggest they are “hardly
Irish” at all—typically playing on accent or behaviour in a joking, ironic way.
2. By
stereotype, often imagined as someone who drives an old Toyota or Volkswagen, wears a GAA jersey most days, and is frequently found in groups around Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
“ He reckons he’s not
like the rest of them, but rocking up to Coogee in an old E60
BMW with a county jersey and a crew beside him—hardly”
“Walk past Big Dave in the morning time and you’ll spot a group of hardlies—county jerseys on, leaning against a couple of old VWs, carrying on
like they own the place.”