paddywhack
/ˈpadɪwak/(also paddywack) informal
noun
1Chiefly derogatory. An Irishman.
2 US informal = paddy. Now rare.
3A severe beating; a violent blow. Now chiefly nursery.
- Sometimes with allusion to the chorus of the folk song This Old Man..
Origin
Late 18th century. Apparently from paddy + whack, although the semantic motivation for the compound is unclear.
- mental age
- mental arithmetic
- mental block
- mental chemistry
- mental cruelty
- mental deficiency
- mentalese
- mental eye
- mental handicap
- mental healer
- mental health
- mental health break
- mental health day
- mental home
- mental hospital
- mental hygiene
- mental illness
- mentalisation
- mentalise
- mentalism
- mentalist
- mentalistic
- mentality
- mentalité
- mentalization