This is a very, very common thing amongst Irish people when describing a person, place or thing. Because sometimes we can't articulate how large or small an object is, or the skin tone of an individual or even the heat of a local curry dish - we use this a lot! We basically just say the word twice and the person who gets the info knows exactly what we mean by tone alone.
Perhaps because of certain distinct physical differences between male and female, this term has been used to describe abilities that are more common in the male sex. Such abilities include; map reading, spatial awareness, computer programming, DIY, and mathematical ability.
