oragin of having a paddy

[irish dave]

what is the oragen of having a paddy

[Quizmonster]

At a guess, it might be related to the reputation - whether deserved or not...I myself make no comment either way! - that irishmen have long had for 'excessive' drinking. One result of that activity is the easy expression of fiery emotions such as rage, of course.

[jno]

my OED relates it to paddywhack, 'Irishman given to brawling'.

[Quizmonster]

The problem there, J, is that 'paddywhack' originally just meant a brawny Irishman rather than a brawly one! He might have been as mild as a lamb, in other words.
'Paddywhack' did also take on the meaning of a rage or tantrum but the basic word 'paddy' predated it with that meaning. As it first appeared as a nickname for an Irishman in the 1700s, it would seem that 'paddy' came first in both senses..

[jno]

oh, that's interesting Quizmonster. So what does the 'whack' imply? Incidentally dave, as you'll probably have guessed, Paddy as a name for Irishmen comes from Patrick, the patron saint.

[Quizmonster]

J, the 'whack' element does seem to suggest 'striking' and, in fact, the whole word 'paddywhack' did later take on the meaning of a thrashing. However, it was also sometimes spelt 'paddywack' without the 'h', so I wonder whether it may also have had the meaning of 'mate/pal' as used by Liverpudlians. Liverpool is, of course, a city with substantial Irish connections.

Whatever the various implications, it seems pretty clear that the tantrum got its name from some aspect - whether alcohol- or violence-related - of Irish behaviour. I say that because I read somewhere that it might refer to 'paddy' as in 'rice-field'. In other words, you get annoyed when you - as a soldier in the Far East perhaps - get bogged down in one. Rather improbable, I think. Cheers