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A.Word.A.Day--shillelagh

This week's theme: Toponyms coined after places in Ireland

shillelagh also shillalah (shuh-LAY-lee, shuh-LAY-luh) noun

A cudgel, traditionally made of blackthorn or oak.

[After Shillelagh, a village in County Wicklow, Ireland, famous for its oaks.]

"Ultimately, Ballymore is Finnegan's dramatic shillelagh that prods us to wonder how we'll feel about our own hometowns years hence when they become cold and empty."
Peter Rusland; Reel Nice Effort by Merc Crew; News Leader and Pictorial (Duncan, Canada); Jun 2, 2007.

See more usage examples of shillelagh in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

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