becomes a 'd' sound: "Wudja looka dat young fella over dare" ("Would you look at that young man over there"). "The Herald" becomes "De Heddild", "aren't" becomes "arden't", and crime figure "The General" becomes "de Generodle". Working-class people are sometimes referred to by Ross as "Howiyas" (based on the Dublin accent rendering of "How are you?"), and the women as "Jacintas", "Anitas" (pronounced as Anee-eh) or "Natalies" (names perceived to be common among working class Dublin women). The term "steamer" is a phrase used by Ross referring to a guy who "bats for the other team" or "drives on the wrong side of the road" i.e.: is homosexual. Eye dialect is also used to portray the accents of people from Northern Ireland, "culchies" (rural people), and foreigners. Characters Cultural impact Ross O'Carroll-Kelly was something of a craze in Ireland, and his name has become a byword for all that is perceived to be wrong in Celtic Tiger Ireland. Though it is largely viewed as satire, there are those who view Ross O'Carroll-Kelly as a role model or an idol. Paul Howard has claimed some people have imitated Ross's friends pastime of driving through disadvantaged areas in expensive cars, shouting "Affluence!" at passers-by and throwing €5 notes out the window. Following Ross's move to The Irish Times, the Irish Independent began a similar column, OMG! featuring a female counterpart to Ross, in its Weekend supplement on 22 September 2007. References External links Official site Characters in novels of the 20th century Characters in novels of the 21st century Literary characters introduced in 1998 Fictional Irish people Novel series Irish satirical novels Characters in Irish novels Fictional real estate brokers Male characters in literature Comedy literature characters