Why Do We Throw a ‘Paddy’?
18 July 2017, 14:47 | Updated: 18 July 2017, 14:53
Why when we lose our cool is it called 'throwing a paddy'? This caller wanted to know.
Question
Where does the origin of ‘throwing a paddy’ come from?
Nick, Aldershot
Answer
It comes from the slightly rude reference to Irish-ness, a historical reference to the Irish complaints about English oppression – so throwing a paddy is a complaint about William of Orange’s troops killing Catholics.
