Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Rice, especially in the husk, whether gathered or still in the field.
  • noun A specially irrigated or flooded field where rice is grown.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Mean; poor; contemptible; low in manners or character.
  • noun An Irishman.
  • noun [lowercase] A sailors' name for the lesser sheath bill of Kerguelen Island, Chionis minor.
  • noun [l. c] The ruddy duck, Erismatura rubida. Also paddywhack.
  • noun [lowercase] Same as paddywhack, 3.
  • noun Rice in the husk, whether in the field or gathered.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Bot.) Unhusked rice; -- commonly so called in the East Indies.
  • noun (Zoöl.) See Java sparrow, under Java.
  • noun Obsolescent A jocose or contemptuous name for an Irishman; -- usually considered offensive.
  • adjective Low; mean; boorish; vagabond.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Rice, before it is milled.
  • noun An irrigated or flooded field where rice is grown.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an irrigated or flooded field where rice is grown
  • noun (ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Irish descent
  • noun rice in the husk either gathered or still in the field

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Malay padi.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Malay padi ("paddy plant"), from Proto-Malayic *padi, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *pajay, from Proto-Austronesian *pajay.

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Examples

Comments

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  • "Paddy O’Rafferty," "Paddy Doyle’s Boots," "Paddy O’Toole," and "Paddy on a Handcar" are all folk tunes.

    "A Pistol for Paddy Garcia" and "Poor Paddy" are by the Pogues, but the latter is very similar to a traditional song called "Paddy on the Railway."

    February 10, 2008

  • Paddy for days! I'm suprised this one didn't come up sooner. :-)

    February 11, 2008

  • A tantrum. cf. paddywhack. Even the OED isn't sure quite why the word is used this way, though.

    February 21, 2008

  • I guess the sense of tantrum is related to (maybe from) paddywagon and padded cell.

    August 30, 2008

  • Nigerian English - friend.

    June 22, 2009