smoked Irishman

noun

A black man.

Meanings

nounsmoked Irishman (plural smoked Irishmen)

plural smoked Irishmen

  1. datedderogatoryethnicslurA black man.

    "We get fairly good salaries, and this is a good neighborhood, one of the few good ones left. We have no smoked Irishmen around."

    1972, John C. Livingston, Robert G. Thompson, The dissent of the governed: readings on the democratic process
    2 more examples

    The smoked Irishmen — the colored (no one says black; few even say Negro) — represent change and instability, kids who cause trouble in school, who get treatment that your kids never got, that you never got.

    1969, Harper's Magazine: Volume 239

    When asked about his Irish name, and how he came by that, McCracken replied "I's smoked Irish, Judge, just another smoked Irishman."

    2010, Loren Avey, The Pole Creek Crossing, page 214

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

From the joint low status of blacks and the Irish in Britain and the United States during the 19th century.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

smoked Irishman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smoked%20Irishman

MLA

“smoked Irishman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smoked%20Irishman. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “smoked Irishman,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smoked%20Irishman.

Source: smoked Irishman on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.