shoneen
/ (ˈʃoːniːn) /
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noun
Irish an Irishman who imitates English ways
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Word Origin for shoneen
C19: from Irish Gaelic Seoinín, diminutive of Seon John (taken as typical English name)
Words nearby shoneen
Sholokhov, Sholom, Sholom Aleichem, Shona, shone, shoneen, shongololo, shonky, shoo, shoofly, shoo-fly pie
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Example sentences from the Web for shoneen
Shoneen; a gentleman in a small way: a would-be gentleman who puts on superior airs.
English As We Speak It in Ireland|P. W. JoyceSometimes you can hardly distinguish a squireen from a half-sir or from a shoneen.
English As We Speak It in Ireland|P. W. JoyceHence Shoneen means "a little gentry John," and is applied to upstarts and "big" farmers, who ape the rank of gentleman.
Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry|William Butler Yeats