leprechauns

Noun

leprechaun (plural leprechauns)

1. (Ireland) A type of diminutive, solitary fairy or sprite, traditionally depicted as a small, bearded man wearing a green coat and hat, often found repairing a single shoe; they typically possess hidden treasure, such as a pot of gold hidden at the end of a rainbow, and can be forced to reveal its location if captured.
   • So they wint, an' Tom held the Leprechaun fast in his hand, an' nivir tuk his eyes frum aff uv him, though they had to crass hidges an' ditches, an' a cruked bit uv a bog (fur the Leprechaun seemed, out o' pure mischief, to pick out the hardest and most conthrairy way), till at last they come to a...1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 375
2. (ethnic, offensive, slang, slur) An Irish person.