# Origin of the word Paddywagon



## Betsy Og (25 Nov 2008)

Heard Jonah Lomu use this word and was surprised to hear it was a worldwide (well, english speaking) phonomenon. As ever Wikip to the rescue. So you can either take the view that the name was given because it was driven by Irish cops in the US, or because it was frequented by Irish "passengers".

For some reason I assumed it had a UK origin (since I thought "Mick" was the more common phrase for Irish men in the US, Paddy being the UK version. The ladies are always Biddy.... (ouch!)). 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddywagon


----------



## PMU (26 Nov 2008)

Paddywagon is of US origin and refers to the fact that a lot of the police in New York were Irish or of Irish descent.  So they travelled in the ‘paddywagon’.    It does not imply that the people transported in the back of the wagon, i.e. crime suspects, were Irish: if that were the case, it would have been referred to as the ‘dagowagon’ or the ‘spicwagon’; the Irish, of course, being, by and large, law abiding citizens.  I was also surprised to hear it in common use in Australia.


----------



## rabbit (26 Nov 2008)

PMU said:


> Paddywagon is of US origin and refers to the fact that a lot of the police in New York were Irish or of Irish descent. So they travelled in the ‘paddywagon’. It does not imply that the people transported in the back of the wagon, i.e. crime suspects, were Irish: if that were the case, it would have been referred to as the ‘dagowagon’ or the ‘spicwagon’; the Irish, of course, being, by and large, law abiding citizens. I was also surprised to hear it in common use in Australia.


 
As Wiki says " An alternative theory is similarly based on the term "Paddy" but states that the term arose due to the number of immigrant Irish being arrested for having consumed too much alcohol and taken away in the vehicles ".

Incidentally, I think I saw someplace there is some private company now taking groups of young and enthusiastic kiwis and aussies etc on holidays / tours around the watering holes of the country, in what they describe and is logoed / painted up as a "Paddywagon" in large letters.  Looks like great fun.


----------



## Betsy Og (26 Nov 2008)

rabbit said:


> Incidentally, I think I saw someplace there is some private company now taking groups of young and enthusiastic kiwis and aussies etc on holidays / tours around the watering holes of the country, in what they describe and is logoed / painted up as a "Paddywagon" in large letters. Looks like great fun.


 

Yes, along the lines of Kiwi Experience and Oz Experience tours in the respective countries. Due to recent sactions I cant reveal the affectionate name for the busses but lets just say the 2nd word was truck...


----------



## Simeon (26 Nov 2008)

Betsy Og said:


> Heard Jonah Lomu use this word and was surprised to hear it was a worldwide (well, english speaking) phonomenon. As ever Wikip to the rescue. So you can either take the view that the name was given because it was driven by Irish cops in the US, or because it was frequented by Irish "passengers".
> 
> For some reason I assumed it had a UK origin (since I thought "Mick" was the more common phrase for Irish men in the US, Paddy being the UK version. The ladies are always Biddy.... (ouch!)).
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddywagon


Mick was used frequently by Scottish left-footers.


----------



## mathepac (26 Nov 2008)

Simeon said:


> Mick was used frequently by Scottish left-footers.



...as a football, tour guide, butt of jokes, sex object?


----------



## Simeon (27 Nov 2008)

No, but in a derogatory fashion. As in, "Mick, Pat and Matt were walking down the boraheen one afternoon at 5am" type of thing.


----------



## Vanilla (27 Nov 2008)

Simeon said:


> No, but in a derogatory fashion. As in, "Mick, Pat and Matt were walking down the boraheen one afternoon at 5am" type of thing.


 
Hmmm, boraheen versus bohareen. I thought it was only people in the west that mixed those two up?


----------



## Betsy Og (27 Nov 2008)

Vanilla said:


> Hmmm, boraheen versus bohareen. I thought it was only people in the west that mixed those two up?


 
while a bohereen (bothairin) is a small road/laneway, what's a boraheen?


----------



## Vanilla (27 Nov 2008)

It's the same thing! Just a colloquial pronunciation.


----------



## Caveat (27 Nov 2008)

Vanilla said:


> Just a colloquial pronunciation.


 
Like 'wirr-ims' no doubt.


----------



## Vanilla (27 Nov 2008)

Caveat said:


> Like 'wirr-ims' no doubt.


 
What are wirr-ims?


----------



## Caveat (27 Nov 2008)

Vanilla said:


> What are wirr-ims?


 
Exactly: they're _worms_ to me.


----------



## Graham_07 (27 Nov 2008)

Vanilla said:


> What are wirr-ims?


 
unrelated to cal-En-dar and fil-um of course.


----------



## Simeon (27 Nov 2008)

Vanilla said:


> Hmmm, boraheen versus bohareen. I thought it was only people in the west that mixed those two up?


Well spotted Vanilla. I went to school in the West up to Leaving Cert. And to think that I thought that they taught me nuffink.


----------



## Caveat (27 Nov 2008)

On the subject of word/phrase origins, I thought that _daylight robbery _was an interesting one.

Commonly thought to refer to cheeky, blatant overcharging in the sense that e.g. robbery that isn't even under the cover of darkness, but what it actually refers to is a very unpopular tax a few hundred years ago in England where a charge was levied based on the number and size of your windows.

Hence the common complaint from the public that their own 'daylight' was being charged for - or stolen.


----------



## Simeon (27 Nov 2008)

I thought this was also the case in Ireland. Hence the tiny windows in cottages ........... portraying old Ireland.


----------



## mathepac (27 Nov 2008)

Caveat said:


> On the subject of word/phrase origins, I thought that ...


*
aftermath* was interesting as well. It has nothing to do with sums but refers to a second crop of hay cut from a meadow in the same season.


----------



## Betsy Og (27 Nov 2008)

what about the one "harbringers of doom" - I dont know if thats the spelling. Couldnt find it on Wiki.

All these phrases you kind of know and might throw into a conversation but wouldnt write down for fear of embarassment !


----------



## Seagull (27 Nov 2008)

Harbinger - you've been overly generous with the rs.


----------



## Caveat (27 Nov 2008)

A harbinger is just a messenger or forewarning of something. There can be harbingers of anything really. 

I imagine the ending "...of doom" is used so often because doom is something that usually slowly and/or ominously builds over time and as such, there is usually a harbinger or warning of some kind - not necessarily so with other things maybe.

Partly a guess I admit.


----------



## Betsy Og (27 Nov 2008)

it gets a good treatment on Wikipedia - no linking with "doom" though so I think your explanation is spot on. 

I suppose "foreboding" meaning "feeling that trouble is coming" is along the same lines.


----------

