Catholic Nicknames

[debshaynes]

Why do some people call catholics Left Footers?

[Quizmonster]

'Left-footer' meaning a Roman Catholic is common in Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north-west of England, especially. It is based on the supposed tradition whereby Protestant farm-labourers dug with the right foot on the spade, whilst Catholic ones did so with the left!
There may also be a suggestion that �sinister' - which just means �left' in Latin - in its unpleasant sense might be involved, too. It's common enough, in Northern Ireland especially, for Protestants to �demonise' their Catholic neighbours in this sort of way. Click here and a link will take you to a Scottish dictionary web-page. Read what it says under 'kick'.

[Whickerman]

Protestants have been called 'Right-Footers' here for years too!

[grumpykevin]

My father told me that "Left Footer" was a term derived from army life when on Sunday morning church parades the non-conformists (mostly but not all Roman Catholics) who were not compelled to attend the CoE church service were marched out of the assembled ranks in the parade ground. The command for this would start with "By the left .......". To me this is a more believable origin of the phrase than the story about digging with the left or right foot.

[debshaynes]

thanks for that folks - I'd be inclined to go with the GrumpyKev (!) explaination too.
cheers :O)