Paddy
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- Paddy: a slang term in British English for an Irish person. It is a diminutive of the Irish forename Pádraig, the equivalent of the English "Patrick", and although it is also in use as an ordinary forename its use as slang is now considered offensive or contemptuous by many people
Commentary
St Patrick (died March 17?, 492/493) is the patron saint of Ireland, along with Saint Brigid and Saint Columba. Pious legend credits Patrick with banishing snakes ("sneaks")from the island, though post-glacial Ireland never actually had snakes; one suggestion is that snakes referred to the serpent symbolism of the Druids of that time and place, as shown for instance on coins minted in Gaul (see Carnutes), or that it could have referred to heretical beliefs such as Pelagianism, symbolized as "serpents."
