Teague

English

Etymology

From the Irish first name Tadhg. Cognate with English taig (“A Catholic”). Compare Mick and Paddy.

Proper noun

Teague

1. A male given name from Irish
2. A surname from Irish.
3. A city in Freestone County, Texas, United States.

Noun

Teague (plural Teagues)

1. (derogatory) An Irishman.
   • 1661, “A New Medley”, in Ebsworth, Joseph Woodfall, editor, Merry Drollery Compleat‎^[1], reprint edition, Boston, Lincolnshire: Robert Roberts, published 1875, page 335:

     Let not poor Teg and Shone / Vender from der houses, / Lest dey be quite undone / In der very Trouses

   • c. 1660–1663, “A Begger I'll Be”, in Farmer, John Stephen, editor, Musa Pedestris‎^[2], published 1896, page 29:

     With Shinkin-ap-Morgan, with Blue-cap, or Teague, / We into no Covenant enter, nor League.

   • 1706, Edward Ward, The Wooden World Dissected, 3rd edition, London: M. Cooper, published 1744, page 70:

     He is not so nice as his Superiors, whom nothing will go down with, under right Nantz or Rum; he shall gulp ye down the rankest Stinkibus with as good a Gusto, as a Teague does Usquenaugh, and not be a Doit the worse for it.

   • 1779, Samuel Johnson, “Addison”, in Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets, volume 1, Charlestown: Samuel Etheridge Jr, published 1810, page 411:

     Sempronious, in the second act, comes back once more in the same morning to the governor's hall, to carry on the conspiracy with Syphax against the governor, his country, and his family; which is so stupid, that it is below the wisdom of the O—'s, the Mac's, and the Teague's; even Eustace Cummins himself would never have gone to Justice-hall to have conspired against the government.

Derived terms

• Teagueland