Word of the Day

: September 9, 2021

brogue

noun BROHG

What It Means

A brogue is a low shoe, usually made of leather, with perforations and a wing tip.

// Even though his brogues are scuffed and old, Dad prefers them to his new loafers.

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brogue in Context

"I've recently returned from my annual trip to the UK and, as usual on returning, my accent (apparently) is a little more clipped than when I left, and I'm wearing brogues and—most startling of all—socks, despite the unseasonable Aussie heat." — Neale Whitaker, The Advertiser (Australia), 20 Jan. 2019

Did You Know?

Did you expect brogue to be defined as "an Irish accent"? You're probably not alone; however, brogue has two homographs (words that are spelled—and, in this case, pronounced—the same but have different origins or parts of speech). Today we're featuring brogue, the shoe, which comes from the Irish word bróg and probably derives from an Old Norse term meaning "leg covering." Brogue, the accent, comes from a different Irish word, barróg, which means "accent" or "speech impediment."