Meanings
plural Irish twins
- offensiverareslangEither of a pair of siblings born less than 12 months apart, especially if born within the same calendar year or school year or born one year apart.
1 more example
I'm the oldest, my brother, Dylan, is the next oldest—my Irish twin.” “Irish twin?” “He's ten months younger, what is referred to sarcastically as an Irish twin. My parents still live in the same flat in Dublin I grew up in. I haven't been home much the last twelve years or so. How about you, darlin'?”
2014, Karyn Gerrard, His Wicked Celtic Kiss, Simon and Schuster, →ISBNSynonyms: Catholic twin
Synonyms & antonyms
nounEither of a pair of siblings born less than 12 months apart, especially if born within the same calendar year or school year or born one year apart.
Origin
Originally used (in the nineteenth century) to mock the fertility of Irish families, referencing the stereotype that they have children in quicker succession.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Irish twin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Irish%20twin
“Irish twin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Irish%20twin. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Irish twin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Irish%20twin.
Source: Irish twin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.