What does paycock mean?

Answer 1

Paycock is an old slang expression for a peacock. It was brought to public prominence by the Irish playwright Sean O'Casey. Its meaning is associated with a redundant captain at sea because a captain's handsome dress code warranted admiration. Its name and meaning gathered pace in Sean O'Casy's play 'Juno and the Paycock'. The play, about Dublin's 'rare old (owl) times', its poverty, hopes, joys and disappointments was first performed in Dublin Ireland in 1924 in the now famous Abbey theatre. The word Paycock comes from the English word Peacock, being a grand bird indeed and well endowed with pride, beauty and colourful feathery attire. However, the sound of the word Paycock is far more important than its meaning. To understand its sound is to understand an almost bygone dialect and a forgotten era of Old Dublin!. And here's why. The sound of the letter 'E' in Dublin and other rural towns in Ireland was pronounced by many as an 'A'. An A sounding vowel. In those times, (dem times) and long before in fact, an entire generation's distinct Irish accent often pronounced the E as an A. For example, Tea was pronounced as Tae. The letter 'I' was pronounced as 'Oi' (as in boy) and still is, in many a home and bar. The letter 'o' was pronounced as 'ow' (as in how). Here's a phrase example.. "No, I don't think so". This will be spoken rather differently in an Irish dialect. In old Dublin, and yes, even now, in modern Dublin - the Liberties area, (a former tenement settlement) , this will sound like "Now, I don't think so!. Similarly, any word commencing with 'th' is replaced with either a 'd' or a simple 't' on its own. The dialect comes from the ancient Irish language itself. And a very beautiful language it is too - (An Gaeilge - a Celtic language), also spoken in Gaelic speaking areas of Scotland. There is no Th in the Irish language. Its nearest expressive form is a D, hence the expression - 'Dem Days'. The phonological stress on particular letters in both sound and speech is derived not only from the ancient written and spoken language of Irish but from the habits of the modern spoken language of English. This practice then conveys a brogue, rather charmingly, to some regular sounds and speech in standard spoken English! Hence the nuance Paycock!. It has been said that a dialect can damage the beauty of a language. I disagree. There is nothing more delightful than a dialectical twist in tongue, to injure the pride of its creators and master its navigation on the sails of a breeze! :))

Answer 2

Paycock is an old term for the peacock, a large and colorful bird known for its striking appearance. The term is used to describe someone who is flashy, showy, or overly confident in a negative way.