Every St. Patrick's Day, without fail, there are plenty of well-meaning folks who shorten "St. Patrick's Day" to "St. Patty's Day."
Cringe.
In hopes of resolving the error once and for all, Marcus Campbell launched the website PaddyNotPatty.com back in 2010.
Despite more than a decade of the website floating around the Internet, the problem persists.
So we come to you humbly, our readers, to remind you, once again, that for St. Patrick's Day, it's "Paddy, not Patty."
Campbell helpfully explains: “Paddy is derived from the Irish, Pádraig: the source of those mysterious, emerald double-Ds.
"Patty is the diminutive of Patricia or a burger, and just not something you call a fella.
"There isn’t a sinner in Ireland that would refer to a Patrick as 'Patty.' It’s as simple as that."
#PaddyNotPatty ☘️ pic.twitter.com/pDU5MgwiLE
— Paddy Not Patty ☘️ (@PaddyNotPatty) March 17, 2023
Still curious about which shortened version of St. Patrick and St. Patrick's Day you should go with?
It's Paddy, not Patty. Ever.
Saint Patrick's Day? Grand.
Paddy's Day? Sure, dead-on.
St. Pat's? Aye, if ye must.
St. Patty? No, ye goat!
For Campbell, opting for ‘Patty’ is purely "Daft."
But Campbell didn't stop at the Paddy / Patty dilemma. He further clarified that shamrocks only have three leaves, Irish Car Bomb drinks and cupcakes are still considered controversial, and in certain contexts, the term ‘Paddy’ can be read as an ethnic slur.
Still stuck? This helpful illustration from TwistedDoodles - that has become a fixture on social media in the lead-up to St. Patrick's Day in recent years - will take you through the difference if it's still not sinking in:
Paddy not Patty! #paddynotpatty pic.twitter.com/4sG5JgAFmV
— TwistedDoodles (@twisteddoodles) March 14, 2015
You can see more from TwistedDoodles at TwistedDoodles.com, on X @TwistedDoodles, or on Facebook at TwistedDoodles.
* Originally published in 2015. Updated March 2024.
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