The reason I posted this question on "Ask Jeeves" was because I watching a show on "The History Chanel" entitled "Paddy-whacked: The History of the Irish mob in America" It seems to be around the early l900's through the 1920's or so. I didn't watch much of the show. But I know that in Ireland that the name Padriac was as common to them as the name John is to us, at least in days gone by. I immediately thought of the song, "This Old Man". I do know that the old, old game of "Ring Around the Rosie" was brought to this country by the English and it actually refers to the Black Plaque. (The stench of the decomposing bodies was so bad that they would put dried flowers in their pockets and then the bodies were burned.)..."pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, all fall down." At least, that's what I read a long time ago! Back to the original theme: We all know that to get whacked is to get killed, ("Goodfellas" et.al.) So I would assume that a person who was "Paddy-whacked" was indeed killed by an Irishman. I hope that I do not offend any Irish people out there; indeed I have great empathy for them because the show on that chanel before the aforementioned one was about how cruel the English were to the Irish people and how they had the poor Irish people completely under their cruel and inhumane thumbs. Just a thought....