Phrase guide

comely maidens

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An outdated stereotype of Irish women; used as a reference to misogynistic opinions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, plural, plural-only

Examples

  • He was surprised to see so many women workers. What did he expect, comely maidens?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Incorrectly attributed to a speech by Irish statesman Éamon de Valera. A longer version is often misquoted as "comely maidens, dancing at the crossroads". The actual phrase, delivered in a radio broadcast on St. Patrick's Day 1943, mentions "the laughter of happy maidens, whose firesides would be forums for the wisdom of serene old age." See Wikipedia article.