tarrier
nounUK /ˈtæɹi.ə/ · /ˈtæɹiɚ/
Etymology The Roman Catholic slang variation is possibly derived from Saint Erasmus being labeled as a "tarrier of time" before torture and execution for his beliefs.
1
A layabout or loiterer; someone who tarries.
2
UK, Derogatory, Slang A Roman Catholic of Northern Ireland or Scotland.
- Wouldnae even offer Jock Stein – your greatest ever manager – a seat on the board 'cause he wasnae a Tarrier.2011, Christopher Brookmyre, The Sacred Art of Stealing:
- It was the Irish “tarriers” working on the railroad that provided the context for the folk ballad that began […]2015, Peter I. Rose, They and We, page 47: