shil·le·lagh

also shil·la·lah (shə-lā′lē, -lə)

A cudgel of oak, blackthorn, or other hardwood.

[After Shillelagh, a village of east-central Ireland where cudgels were made with wood from the formerly extensive local oak forests.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

shillelagh

(ʃəˈleɪlə; -lɪ; Irish ʃɪˈleːlə) or

shillala

(Arms & Armour (excluding Firearms)) (in Ireland) a stout club or cudgel, esp one made of oak or blackthorn

[C18: from Irish Gaelic sail cudgel + éille leash, thong]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

shil•le•lagh

(ʃəˈleɪ li, -lə)

n. (esp. in Ireland)

a cudgel, traditionally of blackthorn or oak.

[1670–80; after a town of the same name (Irish Síol Éiligh) in Co. Wicklow]

shillelagh

An Irish word meaning cudgel.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

shillelagh - a cudgel made of hardwood (usually oak or blackthorn)

shillalah

cudgel - a club that is used as a weapon

Emerald Isle, Hibernia, Ireland - an island comprising the republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

Translations

shillelagh

[ʃəˈleɪlə, ʃəˈleɪlɪ] N (Irl) → cachiporra f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

shillelagh

n (Ir) → (Schlehdorn- or Eichen)knüppel m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

It was armed with the Shillelagh 152mm combined gun and missile launcher, which offered a lot of firepower in a relatively small package.

The search for a new MBT: Canada and the Centurion's replacement: the search for a replacement for Canada's fleet of main battle tanks in the 1960s was plagued with challenges and political intrigue

'Maybe some people were expecting a pipe 'n' slippers record but this is much more boxing gloves on, shillelagh out and off we go.'

Billy Sloan : Tom's Jool of a record; Jones teams up with old mate

The last time I was in Belfast city centre for St Paddy's - about four or five years ago - I saw more Provo propaganda than you could shake a plastic shillelagh at.

MAN OF THE PEOPLE: St Patrick's Day bash makes me turn green

The Homepride to Mattessons food group have specified Alto's Scanlo Technology's S3100 low pressure satellite cleaners at their new Shillelagh factory.

More Contracts for Alto

Call it a fashion, call it a fad, call it a trend, or just put it down as crazy coincidence, but America seems to be enjoying more Irish dance companies than you could shake a shillelagh at in that new-fangled craze of that old-fangled art, step dancing.

Did Your Mother Come From Ireland?

I found his crown and shillelagh, too And helped to gather his loot.

Honorary leprechaun

Clark claimed that the law never established a state monopoly of "legitimate" violence (Weber's definition of the state) and so the Micks settled their scores with fist, shillelagh and kindred personal munitions, thus developing down the centuries what Tocqueville called "no sense of public justice."

I'm Schaden, he's Freude

Crime drama A Date With Shillelagh has already won 58 movie industry accolades and now Keith Large has been invited to accept a Best Producer trophy for the short film in Los Angeles.

Even more awards for film shot in town; Film has already won 58 accolades

"We would have a packed house," restaurant manager Mary Corby said Sunday as she reminisced about the monthly Friday night gigs in the Hackney's Shillelagh Room.

Accomplished jazz musician recalled for love of music

A noisy reveller threatened cops with a wooden shillelagh when they told him to turn the music down, a court was told.

Boozed-up reveller threatened cops with wooden walking stick; court Accused turned nasty after officers broke up one-man party

The 88-year-old was attacked during an aggravated burglary in Shillelagh, Co Wicklow, at around 9pm on Wednesday.

88-year-old battered by masked thieves in 'despicable' house raid