shoneen
- Irish an Irishman who imitates English ways
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Word Origin
C19: from Irish Gaelic Seoinín, diminutive of Seon John (taken as typical English name)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Examples from the Web for shoneen
Historical Examples
Sometimes you can hardly distinguish a squireen from a half-sir or from a shoneen.
English As We Speak It in IrelandP. W. Joyce
Shoneen; a gentleman in a small way: a would-be gentleman who puts on superior airs.
English As We Speak It in IrelandP. W. Joyce