murphy

/'mə:fi/
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murphy

A farmer harvests murphy from a field.

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.)
murphy

A farmer harvests murphy from a field.

Noun
  1. an edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland

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