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Irish pennant

American  

noun

Nautical Slang: Sometimes Offensive.

  1. an unwhipped rope end.

  2. any strand or rope end left hanging untidily.

Sensitive Note

Though no longer used as a deliberate slur, this term is sometimes perceived as insulting to or by the Irish. It originated in the Royal Navy in the 1800s, during the time of sailing ships.

Etymology

Origin of Irish pennant

First recorded in 1880–85

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.