Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also tug) a Roman Catholic, spec. as used by Protestants in Northern Ireland.

1640		H. Mill Nights Search I 57: She thus poore Teige did wooe.
1648		R. Herrick ‘Upon Teage’ Hesperides 334: Teage has told lyes so long, that when Teague tells / Truth, yet Teages truths are untruths.
a.1661		‘The Irish’ Rump Poems and Songs (1662) I 241: O hone, O hone, poor Teg and shone.
a.1661		‘The Cock-Crowing at the Approach of a Free-Parliament’ Rump Poems and Songs (1662) II 176: No Jockey, Teag, and Shenkin, / Shall boast no more of St. Andrew, / St. Patrick, or St. David.
c.1670		Purgatorium Hibernicum 7: That Wattle twixt that proves so fattall / To poore Macteig in bloudy battle.
1671		‘L.B.’ New Academy of Complements 280: Some keep their Quarters as high as the gates / With Shinkin ap Morgan, with Blue-cap or Tege.
1674		Hogan-Moganides 19: Each one A Gallemauphrey Mermidon, Van Heer Mac Teige, Don Juan ap Morgan.
1682		T. Shadwell Lancashire Witches dramatis personae: Tegue O Divelly ... The Irish Priest, an equal mixture of Fool and Knave.
c.1687		‘Mac O Bonniclabbero of Drogheda’ Bog Witticisms ii: Teage and his Country-men have clearly Baffled Saint Taffy.
1687		‘Lovers’ Session’ in Wilson Court Satires of the Restoration (1976) 186: No Teague to his love could his blockishness shape; / They had only the gift of murder and rape.
1690		‘Poor Teague in Distress’ in Carpenter Verse in English from Tudor & Stuart Eng. (2003) 529: By Chreest, dey vill hang up poor Teague till he’s dead.
1700		‘The National Quarrel’ in Playford Pills to Purge Melancholy II 232: Shone a Welch Runt and Hans a Dutch Boor, / As they one Ev’ning for Air did employ; Found Teague and Sawney just walking before.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy I 204: In a Skirmish near Limerick [...] Many stout Teagues were slain.
1721		Penkethman’s Jests 3: S’bud Patrick, I’ll give thee half a Crown for a stroke of those bluff Chops of thine [...] Pil you indeed, says Teague, bee Creest come on then.
1734		C. Johnson Hist. of Highwaymen &c 333: The Lieutenant perceiv’d Teague was not to be talk’d out of his Booty.
1771		Smollett Humphrey Clinker (1925) II 43: Poor Teague lay snoring a-bed.
1780		[book title] The Comical Sayings of Paddy from Cork, with his coat button’d behind him; Being an Elegant Conference between English Tom and Irish Teague.
1786		Northampton Mercury 1 Apr. 4/1: ‘Yes, my honey,’ says Teague.
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) I 106: In a great splutter take, like Teague, / The solemn covenant.
1802		Sporting Mag. Apr. XX 55/2: In Ireland, a poor ignorant fellow was tried for treason in conspiring ‘to kill the King.’ The Counsel against him [...] chanced to repeat the law adage, that ‘the King never dies;’ on which Teague roars out, ‘Uboboo! my Lord! how can I be guilty?’.
1812		Spirit of Irish Wit 211: On which Teague roars out [...] ‘How can I kill a man that never dies’.
1815		H.H. Brackenridge Modern Chivalry (1937) Pt II Vol. IV 768: This Teague not many years ago, / Came with his broguery, / From Dublin City.
1821		‘A Real Paddy’ Real Life in Ireland 124: Teague Slaughter was born on my father’s estate.
c.1830		‘The Irish Man’s Ramble to London’ in Holloway & Black I (1975) 131: Whenever they get a poor / Honest Teague to their mind.
1853		Kendal Mercury 23 July 6/1: From the long councils of Crapeaus and Teagues, From Papacy rampant [...] Libera nos domine!
1895		Coburg Leader (Vic.) 6 Apr. 4/4: Who are the tugs down East working night and day for the Catholic picnic.
1911		St J. Ervine Mixed Marriage Act I: That’s what comes thrum associatin’ wi Tagues.
1979		J. Morrow Confessions of Proinsias O’Toole 132: Total withdrawal, you said, an’ there’s still a full company of them Scotch Taigs protectin’ that holy kiphouse down there.
1993		(con. 1945) S. McAughtry Touch and Go 99: The Taigs want us to hell out of it.
1999		N. Cohn Yes We have No 22: I tell them what I am. A Derry Taig.
2004		(con. 1980) N. ‘Razor’ Smith A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun 229: They found out their little girl was knocking about with a ‘taig’ (a disparaging name for an Irish Catholic, used by Protestants).
2009		L. McIlvanney All the Colours 72: The Taigs were organising.
2013		NSFW Corp 3 Aug. 🌐 I look like I’ve just been fired as an extra from His Girl Friday. Which is an improvement on ‘some taig from the Falls Road’, more or less what I am.
2018		Twitter 12 July 🌐 [I]f these hateful spectacles that incite sectarian violence (‘Kill All Taigs’) happened anywhere else in the UK they would provoke national outrage.
2020		Twitter 11 July 🌐 Spraying KAT (kill all taigs) [...] is not cultural expression. It’s sectarian hate.
2021		A. Parks April Dead 195: ‘[T]his isn’t the first time we’ve had a wee look at you and your Taig pals’.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1746		[cover] Teague-Root Display’d. Being some Useful and Important Discoveries [...] From Paddy Strong-cock, Fellow of Drury-lane.
1979		J. Morrow Confessions of Proinsias O’Toole 11: I visualized a platoon of priest-eaters [...] ready to storm in and catch such a notorious Taig baby-farmer in bed – with a Prod!

3. a generic term for an Irishman; thus Taig/Teague-land, Ireland; Teaguelander, an Irishman.

1623		Dekker Welsh Embassador IV ii: [as written] clo.: Come in; oh mr macTeage, this may bee cronicled to see you heere. edm.: Sawst thou Reece, datt coggin rascalls? clo.: not I.
c.1661		‘A Beggar I’ll Be’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 27: With Shinkin ap Morgan, with blue-cap or Teague, / We into no Covenant enter, nor League.
c.1670		Purgatorium Hibernicum 1: There was Prince of Antient fame / Bloud of the Teigs Nees was his name.
c.1687		‘Mac O Bonniclabbero of Drogheda’ Bog Witticisms 27: The Teaguelander did burst into laughter. [...] Dost thou say there be no Teagueland Saint.
1688		ballad title in Ebsworth Bagford Ballads (1878) I 73: The Irish Lasse’s letter, or, her earnest request to Teague, her dear Joy.
1690		‘Teague’ Teagueland Jests I 23: Teague having been obliged to wait upon his Master to Edinburgh [Ibid.] 29: De king had maude him a Justishe of the Peace in Teagueland [Ibid.] 31: A certain Teaguelander came to two of his Comrades [etc.].
1699		N. Ward London Spy VIII 178: By my Shoul, reply’d Teague, Let Shampson look to dat his own shelf.
1707		N. Ward Wooden World 99: He shall gulph ye down the rankest Stinkibus with as good a gusto as a Teague does Usquebaugh.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy II 77: Teague then readily answer’d the Scot, / By Creesht, my dear Joy, ’tis St. Patrick’s Cross.
1733		Swift To Grant in Scott Swift xviii 203: I was a year old before I was sent to England; and thus I am a Teague, or an Irishman [F&H].
1742		Ordinary of Newgate His Account 22 Nov. 13/2: He was very desirous of having the Account of his dying Behaviour publish'd before his Execution; and being answer'd, it was impossible; reply'd it was very common in Dublin, which is a plain Demonstration that he was a downright Teaguelander.
1750		The Adventures of Shelim O’Blunder 2: Reflections on the modern, shameful Practice of Fortune hunting (as these Teague-land Beaux term it).
1754		T. Sheridan Brave Irishman I ii: You be de Teague – de vile Irishman – de potato-face.
1770		D. Gunston (ed.) Jemmy Twitcher’s Jests 17: If this be England, said Teague [etc].
1781		Hicky’s Bengal Gaz. 6-12 May n.p.: No Teague so delightfull as Sweet Barney O.
1790		Banquet of Wit 54: An Irishman, whom King Charles had some respect for [...] his majesty asked him how his wife did [...] ‘I humbly thank you majesty,’ replied teague, ‘ she is like to do well ’ [etc].
1793		J. Caulfield Blackguardiana n.p.: Teagueland, Ireland.
1795		‘Dermot’s Delight’ in A. Carpenter Verse in Eng. in 18C Ireland (1998) 557: As Teague and his comrade were digging potatoes/ [...] / Says Dermot, ‘Come Teague, let us not over-rate us’.
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) II 326: A gang of downright Teagues.
1842		Wkly Rake (NY) 3 Sept. n.p.: Irishism — ‘So you have got here first at last,’ said Teague .
1849		Paul Pry 29 Jan. 7/1: A certain lady of quality, sending her Irish footman to fetch home a pair of new stays, strictly charged him to take coach if it rained [...] ‘No,’ replied Teague, ‘I knew my place better’.
1882		Bristol Magpie 14 Dec. 5/2: (Scene—A country road; Time, near midnight ; two Irishmen are rollicking along.) [...] ‘Murphy,’ said Teague, ‘I slept once on the pint (point) of a bayonet’.