murphy
/'mə:fi/
Definition
Noun: 1. An edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland: This is the primary definition, referring to the potato (Solanum tuberosum). The word "murphy" is an informal or slang term for a potato, particularly common in Irish and British English.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- For dinner, we're having a roast with some boiled murphies. (We are having roast meat with boiled potatoes.)
- The crop failed, and the farmers lost their entire harvest of murphies. (The farmers lost their entire potato harvest.)
- He's so Irish, he could live on murphy and cabbage. (He is so Irish that he could survive on a diet of potatoes and cabbage.)
Advanced Usage
- "Murphy's Law": This is a famous adage, not directly about the potato but using the common surname "Murphy." It states: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." It is included here due to the identical spelling, but it is a distinct concept.
- I forgot my umbrella, and of course it rained—that's Murphy's Law for you. (This is a typical example of things going wrong.)
Variants and Related Words
- Spud (n): Another common slang term for a potato.
- We need to peel the spuds for the stew.
- Tater (n): Informal, chiefly American English, for potato.
- Would you like mashed taters with your steak?
Synonyms
- Potato: The standard, formal term.
- Tuber: A botanical term for the type of plant structure.
Related Phrases (Phrasal verbs are not applicable for this noun)
- Small potatoes (Idiom): Something insignificant or unimportant.
- The fine was small potatoes compared to the profit they made. (The fine was insignificant.)
- Couch potato (Idiom): A person who spends a lot of time sitting and watching television.
- He turned into a real couch potato during the holidays. (He became very inactive and watched a lot of TV.)
Related Idioms
- Meat and potatoes: The most basic, fundamental, or essential part of something.
- His lecture covered the meat and potatoes of economic theory. (It covered the fundamental parts.)
- To drop someone like a hot potato: To abandon someone or something quickly and decisively.
- When the scandal broke, his friends dropped him like a hot potato. (They ended their association with him immediately.)
Noun
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an edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland
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