by Guest Fri Jul 13, 2012 6:42 am
Mustangt125 wrote:Why do they call Catholics Taigs?
Wasn't sure why but wiki says
Taig is a derogatory term for an Irish Catholic. It is mainly used by sectarian loyalists[1] in Northern Ireland and Scotland. It has been used in sectarian slogans such as "Kill All Taigs" (KAT), "All Taigs Are Targets" (ATAT) and "Any Taig Will Do".[1] The latter was painted on murals by loyalist paramilitary prisoners during "The Troubles" and implied that all Irish Catholics were legitimate targets for hostility.[1]
The term is a synecdoche derived from the Irish male firstname Tadhg. The Irish phrase Tadhg an mhargaidh" (Tadhg of the market) or "Tadhg na sráide" (Tadhg of the street) predates the derogatory use of the term and was once used in a similar way to the modern expression "average Joe" or "man on the street".[2] Tadhg an dá thaobh (meaning "Tadhg of the two sides") is equivalent to the English word "turncoat".
