See Also: Irish Oak(tourism)
Irish Sea(dictionary)
Irish elk(encyclopedia)
Irish Sea(encyclopedia)
Irish(dictionary)
irish(medicine)
Irish terrier(encyclopedia)
Irish stew(dictionary)
Irish language(encyclopedia)
Irish Stew(recipes)

Irish (iou)



Irish adjective & noun. ME.
[from Old English ir(as inhabitants of irland Ireland (obscurely based on Old Irish eriu: see HIBERNIAN) + -ISH1. Cf. Old Norse irskr. See also ERSE.]
A. adjective.
Of, pertaining to, or native to Ireland, an island lying west of Great Britain, now divided into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. ME.
Northern Irish: see NORTHERN adjective. Southern Irish: see SOUTHERN adjective.
b. Of or belonging to (the Gaelic inhabitants of) the Scottish Highlands. M16-M18.
In, of, or pertaining to the language Irish. M16.
Having a nature or quality (regarded as) characteristic of Ireland or its people; (of a statement) paradoxical, (apparently) illogical, self-contradictory. offensive. L16.
R. Hill 'Marcus wouldn't dare to tell a lie..unless it was true!' 'Irish,' said Pascoe.
Special collocations & comb.: Irish American an American of Irish origin. Irish-American adjective of or pertaining to an Irish American or the Irish community in the US. Irish apricot joc. a potato. Irish Australian an Australian of Irish origin. Irish-Australian adjective of or pertaining to an Australian of Irish origin or the Irish community in Australia. Irish blackguard: see BLACKGUARD noun 6. Irish bridge an open stone drain carrying water across a road. Irish bull: see BULL noun4 1. Irish coffee: see COFFEE noun. Irish deer, Irish elk a large extinct deer, Megaceros giganteus, remains of which have been found in Ireland and other parts of Europe. Irish Gaelic = sense B.2 below. Irish green = CONNEMARA marble. Irish harp = CLAIRSCHACH. Irish horse Nautical slang (now Hist.) tough salt beef. Irish hurricane = Irishman's hurricane s.v. IRISHMAN. Irish lace any of a variety of laces made in Ireland, esp. crochet. Irish mantle: see MANTLE noun. Irish martingale (in riding) a short leather strap connecting two rings through which the reins of a horse are passed. Irish moss = CARRAGEEN. Irish pennant Nautical slang an untidy end of rope flying loose in the wind. Irish point a kind of needlepoint lace made in Ireland. Irish potato: see POTATO noun 2. Irish pound: see POUND noun1. Irish promotion, Irish rise = Irishman's promotion s.v. IRISHMAN. Irish Sea the sea separating Ireland from England and Wales. Irish setter (an animal of) a breed of setter with a long silky dark red coat and a long feathered tail. Irish stew: of mutton, potato and onion. Irish Sweep, Irish Sweepstake: organized by Irish hospitals on the results of English horse-races, esp. the Derby and the Grand National. Irish terrier (an animal of) a breed of large wire-haired terrier, with a sandy or reddish-coloured coat. Irish whiskey: distilled in Ireland, esp. from malted barley. Irish wolfhound (an animal of) a breed of large, rough-coated hound, often grey in colour. Irish yew a fastigiate variety of yew, Taxus baccata, freq. cultivated.
b. noun. Pl. same, (in sense 1b) Irishes.
collect. pl. The people of Ireland, or their immediate descendants in other countries, esp. those of Celtic origin. ME.
black Irish: see BLACK adjective. the luck of the Irish: see LUCK noun. wild Irish Hist. those people of Ireland not subject to English rule.
b. An Irishman. Chiefly Scot. L16-E19.
The form of Gaelic used in Ireland. LME.
Old Irish: see OLD adjective.
b. Scottish Gaelic. E16-E18.
ellipt. Irish linen, whiskey, etc. L18.
J. K. Jerome He had found a place..where you could really get a drop of Irish worth drinking.
Temper; passion. colloq. M19.
Islander (Victoria, BC) I'm afraid she'd really get her 'Irish' up.
Irisher noun (colloq.) a person of Irish origin E19.
I'rishian noun a person familiar with the Celtic language or antiquities of Ireland E19.
Irishism noun an Irish expression, statement, etc. (see IRISH adjective 3) E18.
Irishize verb trans. make Irish in character M19.
Irishly adverb L16.
Irishness noun E19.
Irishy adjective like the Irish, somewhat Irish L19.