Donnybrook - a scene of uproar and disorder

[Garson O'Toole]

The article that Victor pointed out included a mention of donnybrook.

The OED has "Donnybrook, donnybrook" noun with a first cite in 1852:

[Begin excerpt]
A scene of uproar and disorder; a riotous or uproarious meeting; a
heated argument.

1852  Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Nov. 645/2   The Irish patriots insist
on having a Donnybrook to themselves.
[End excerpt]

I think the cite below may provide an example of Donnybrook as "a
scene of uproar and disorder" in 1848.

Cite: 1848 April, Tait's Edinburgh Magazine, The Wants of the Times,
Start Page 215, Quote Page 215, Sutherland & Knox, Edinburgh. (Google
Books full view)

http://books.google.com/books?id=mD1NAAAAMAAJ&q=+Donnybrook#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
The Whigs will not admit the possibility of violence in this country.
Something may occur in Ireland. The presumed tendency to
scull-breaking was supposed to be excited in Ireland by the mad essays
and theories of a few wild writers and orators. Fears were entertained
that, on St Patrick's eve, Dame Street might be converted into a
Donnybrook, and the Earl of Clarendon made suitable preparations for a
great event. The day passed, and in peace, but it was followed by the
melancholy farce of arresting three parties, who could have given
heavy bail, but were dismissed on finding security for [Pounds] 200
each to meet their trial. Sedition, like other commodities, is lowered
in value.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Thu, May 31, 2012 at 1:28 AM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      taxonomy of sports fights
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> As a rule, sports writers should avoid talking about language. But
> sometimes it works out OK--humor is a required ingredient. Steve Rushin,
> of Sports Illustrated, decided to offer a hierarchical taxonomy of
> sports fights. It's a decent piece of journalism, but I'll let everyone
> else decide on his content delivery.
>
> I am only going to deliver one graf--the rest you have to look up on the
> page. The reason for this excerpt is that it includes two pieces that
> have had an occasion to fascinate members of this list--the Australian
> shortening of words and adding an -o, which I just revived yesterday
> after a two years slumber, and the original snowclone.
>
> http://goo.gl/NnRYn
>
>> In fights overseas, incidentally, the phrase "a bit" is meant as an
>> intensifier, so that "a bit of aggro" -- in, say, Australian rules
>> football -- will be worse than unadorned aggro. Aggro, in this case,
>> refers to aggressive or violent behavior, covering the entire spectrum
>> of sports fighting. A bit of aggro is, in my limited understanding,
>> not as bad in Australia as a bit of "biffo," but then Australia has as
>> many words for fighting as the Inuit have for puncturing the myth that
>> they have a lot of words for snow.
>
>     VS-)
>
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