You could see how his surname could be shortened to Mac, right? He’s our version of Hercules – super strong, amazing warrior, constantly having adventures and nearly dying. Every Irish schoolchild has heard tales of Fionn MacCumhaill, the ancient Irish warrior (probably mythological). The third option is intriguing and may be complete hokum but it’s a good story. #Rhyme genie for mac mac#Some alternatives include jeez and “cheese and rice” and many parents in Ireland would say sugar instead of sh**, but Janey Mac really doesn’t sound like Jesus Christ. Instead of yelling “Jesus Christ” when you drop a hammer on your toe, you’d call out Janey Mac instead. The second is the exclamation is an avoidance of taking God’s name in vain. Given that mac is a common prefix to Irish surnames (MacCarthy, MacCabe, MacAuley etc) thanks to mac meaning “son of” in Irish, you would expect to find a Janey MacCarthy (or other Mac surname) at the bottom of this but I couldn’t find a real surname or time period for her anywhere and why would a girl be so surprising anyhow? The first is she was a Dublin girl, one of a pair of sisters. There are three possible origins for Janey. Janey Mac hasn’t made it into the dictionary, yet, but is under consideration. Some claim it for the west of the country, others for Dublin, but it’s definitely from Ireland and has spread into other countries along with Irish emigrants. Janey Mac is an expression of surprise, originating in Ireland and dating back at least 50 years, probably much longer. The person in question is Janey Mac and while rumours of her being a Dublin girl like myself persist, it now appears Janey Mac may have been a man. This week I’ve dug out my Sherlock hat and taken on a missing persons case.
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