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THE CUPLA FOCAIL THAT MADE IT
Eoghan Rice



THE Oxford English Dictionary may be unsure whether the words 'loo' and 'hoodie' were first coined by Irishmen, but it does credit Ireland with having contributed several words to its collection.

While terms such as 'boycott' are well recognised as having Irish origins . . . that term stemmed from the public isolation of Captain Boycott in Mayo . . . others are less well-known. According to Diarmaid O Muirithe, author of Words We Use, the word 'pet' comes from the Old Irish term 'peta', meaning domesticated or tame animal.

However, O Muirithe says it is unusual how few words of Irish origin made it into the English language given the strength of the Irish population in Britain since the 17th century. Some words that Ireland gave the language were not translated from the Irish language but were first spoken in English in Ireland. An example of this is the word 'unwell', which was first coined in Ireland before crossing the Irish Sea.

Other words are associated with Ireland which actually have no link to these shores.

The term 'craic' is borrowed from the Old English word 'cracian', which in turn is related to Old German term 'krakkon', while the phrase 'top of the morning' is . . . says O Muirithe . . . "as English as cakes and ale".




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