segotia

n. good friend, mate, buddy, pal. Also segocia, segosha. Subjects: Ireland, United Kingdom

Editorial Note: The 1966 citation refers to the name of a race horse. Etymological Note: The historical information in the 2004 cite is plausible but unconfirmed.

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Citations: 1966 Times (London, England) (Jan. 7) “Grand National Entries” p. 4: Me Oul Segocia. 1992 Dick Walsh Irish Times (Dec. 5) “Politicians living in terror of real change” p. 10: It’s no longer the place where safely returned deputies spend their days, cracking jokes with old segocias before shuffling once more into the back benches for the start of the new Dail. 1999 Kenneth Wright The Herald (Glasgow, Scotland) (Apr. 21) “Doctor Ross! I think we’re losing you!” p. 36: What really puts the tin lid on it for Dr Ross after tonight’s brush with the rules and regs—a small matter of treating a little boy suffering from a degenerative nerve disease with an unlicensed drug still fizzing from the lab—is that even his old segocia Carol won’t back him up this time. 2002 Jamie O'Neill At Swim, Two Boys (Mar. 27): “There was a day, Arthur, and you was pal o’ me heart,” said he, “me fond segotia.” 2004 Diarmaid Ó Muirithe A Glossary of Irish Slang (Mar. 4) p. 118: Me segotia, or me oul’ segotia are phrases as Dublin as they come.…Mr. Paddy O’Neill…was right when he glossed it as a Dublin Fusilier’s word. Me segotia, Mr. O’Neill claimed, was originally said to children only, which is very important, as it confirms his theory that it was a corruption of some phrase like mon cher gosse, my dear child.

Posted 10 Jan 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

“Our mutilated friend seems a decent sort of segotia, Hackett remarked from his armchair.” (Lack of quotation marks for speech sic.) 1964 Flann O’Brien “The Dalkey Archive” (Chapter 2, opening sentence.)

by Tim Rostron 31 May 06, 0903 GMT

Ooh, nice antedating. I’ll add it to the entry as soon as I can.

by Grant Barrett 31 May 06, 1029 GMT

Check out what Hiberno-English.com has to say:

segocia, skeowsha, segotia: n. colloq. old friend; term of endearment (origin obscure; it has been suggested that it derives from a corruption of Ir. ‘seo dhuitse!’ (= here it is you are!);

James Joyce, Finnegans Wake (Part:1 Episode:7 Page:215). 12-13; “Ah, but she was the queer old skeowsha anyhow, Anna Livia, trinkettoes”

http://mv.lycaeum.org/ Finnegan/viewpage.cgi?pag e=215&like=dea

(Please note that Finnegans Wake was published in 1939).

“Irishman’ s Diary”, The Irish Times, 23 June 1965, p. 7: ‘‘Segocias and Segotias. Where did John Molloy get the title for his new show, opening at the Gate on Monday next? Well, it’s a logical progression. Molloy’s last show was called ‘There Y’are’, and whenever a Dublinman says ‘There y’are,’ he inevitably follows it up with ‘Me oul’ Segotia.’ So ‘Me oul’ Segotia’ the show becomes.”

As for the derivation: “One story has it that members of a club called ‘The Oul’ Segotias’ never tipped less than half a sovereign and that when less well-heeled passengers tipped tuppence, the jarvey (q.v.) would say with that deleicate irony that typified the breed: ‘T’ank you, me oul’ segotia.’”; the same column on 1 October, 1965, p. 9, cites Donn S. Piatt as suggesting that “Segotia has been Gaelicised as ‘sagoiste’ and may be connected with French ‘sacoche’— wallet, money-bag, saddle-bag.’” , Roche, Tumbling Down, 28: “‘Hickey, me auld segotia,’ my father piped. ‘How are you keepin’ Paddy said as he slided through the crowd”.

by Marcia Wyatt 01 Jun 06, 0109 GMT

“Segosha” also appears in Frank McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes” (1996) as a term of endearment for a horse pulling a coal float: “Mr. Hannon talks to him all the time and calls him Me oul’ segosha, and the horse snuffles and pushes his nose against Mr. Hannon’s chest.” (p.260)

by Steve Blakeslee 19 Feb 09, 0708 GMT