tarrier

English

Etymology 1

The Roman Catholic slang variation is possibly derived from Saint Erasmus being labeled as a "tarrier of time" before torture and execution for his beliefs.

Pronunciation

Noun

tarrier (plural tarriers)

  1. A layabout or loiterer; someone who tarries.
  2. (slang, derogatory, UK) A Roman Catholic of Northern Ireland or Scotland.
    • 2011, Christopher Brookmyre, The Sacred Art of Stealing:
      Wouldnae even offer Jock Stein – your greatest ever manager – a seat on the board 'cause he wasnae a Tarrier.
    • 2015, Peter I. Rose, They and We, page 47:
      It was the Irish “tarriers” working on the railroad that provided the context for the folk ballad that began […]

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

Adjective

tarrier

  1. comparative form of tarry: more tarry

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Noun

tarrier (plural tarriers)

  1. Obsolete form of terrier (“kind of dog”).
    • 1843, William Hamilton Maxwell, Wild Sports of the West: With Legendary Tales, and Local Sketches, R. Bentley, page 77:
      I then had the two best tarriers beneath the canopy; this poor crater is their daughter," and he patted the dog's head affectionately.
    • 1881, James Greenwood, Low-Life Deeps:
      Why I recollect, a bit ago, having a tarrier dog what got old and disagreeable, and was turned out on that account from a swell house in Belgravy. Well, he come into my hands, and nat'rally I put him on paunch, like the rest. Would he eat it? Not he. He had been used to his chicken, and his mutton chops, and his 'ashes: and he turned up his nose at anything commoner.
    • 1914, The Catholic Bulletin and Book Review, volume 4, page 370:
      Booth's and Doran's “tarriers” guarded the entrance to the town and drew first blood from a visiting dog: […]
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.