How Do You Spell BLUESHIRTS?

Pronunciation: [blˈuːʃɜːts] (IPA)

The term "blueshirts" is commonly used to refer to the New York Rangers ice hockey team. The word is spelled "blueshirts" because it combines the words "blue" and "shirts", with "blue" serving as an adjective modifying "shirts". The pronunciation of "blueshirts" is [blu ʃɝts], with the stress on the first syllable. The IPA phonetic transcription shows that "blueshirts" starts with the voiced bilabial plosive [b] sound followed by the voiceless alveolar fricative [s] sound, before ending with the voiced alveolar approximant [ɹ] and the voiceless alveolar fricative [ts] sound.

BLUESHIRTS Meaning and Definition

1. Blueshirts, noun:

   1. A term primarily associated with the paramilitary organization, the National Corporate Guard (NCG), formed in the 1930s in Ireland. The Blueshirts were distinguishable by their distinctive blue shirts, hence the name, and were ideologically aligned with the Irish political party Fine Gael. The Blueshirts aimed to combat the growth of communism and maintain law and order during a period of political upheaval. While the NCG was short-lived, the Blueshirts played a significant role in Irish political and social history.

   2. A colloquial term referring to the players or members of a sports team whose uniforms prominently feature a blue color, such as ice hockey or soccer. The term emphasizes the color of their shirts to differentiate them from teams with different uniform colors. The usage of "blueshirts" in this context is particularly prevalent in American and Canadian sports culture.

   3. Additionally, it can refer to the police force, members of law enforcement agencies, or security personnel who wear blue uniforms. The term is often used informally to denote police officers specifically, particularly those wearing blue shirts as part of their uniform.

   Overall, "blueshirts" is a versatile term that can be applied to various contexts, including paramilitary groups, sports teams, and police officers, all of which share a common element of prominently featuring the color blue in their attire.

Etymology of BLUESHIRTS

The term "blueshirts" originated in the early 20th century and has different etymologies depending on the context.

1. Blueshirts in Ireland:

In the context of Irish history, "blueshirts" refers to a political movement known as the "Blueshirts", which emerged in the 1930s. They were a right-wing, quasi-fascist organization led by Eoin O'Duffy. The nickname "blueshirts" came from the distinctive blue shirts worn by the members of the organization. The color choice was inspired by Italy's fascist black shirts and Germany's brown shirts, as O'Duffy admired these movements. However, the term "blueshirt" itself does not have a specific etymology beyond its association with the organization.