Erinaceous

The adjectival suffix �-aceous� means �resembling, or having the nature of� the particular item described.

So, �rosaceous� means �resembling a girl called Rose�; �herbaceous� means �resembling a man called Herbert�; �crustaceous� means �resembling a crust of bread; and so on.  It�s quite easy, really.

Therefore, the word Erin-aceous refers to someone or something that looks like, or aspires to be like Erin, The Emerald Isle, Ireland, Eire, Irish!

The original inhabitants of Ireland were about half-a-metre tall, and were dressed all in green.  They were called �The Little People�, to distinguish them from people who were two metres tall, and who were called, �The Big People�.

So, if you are at a Fancy Dress Party, and there is a character there, perhaps a doctor, dressed all in green and he looks like a fugitive from the National Elf Service, you can be sure that he is attempting to be Erinaceous.

It is generally acknowledged that, had it not been for the Irish �navvies�, (�navigators�), none of the roads, canals, sewers and heavy engineering work in the UK would have been completed.  We owe Ireland a huge debt.

Just for the record, (or the CD), I am English, but I have a brother who is Irish!

My brother�s family love to hear Irish jokes.

There was a Conference regarding �The Population Explosion�.  The Speaker made a startling statement.

�Do you realise that, on this Earth, every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, of every month, of every year, a woman is giving birth to a child.  I ask you a question.  What are we going to do about it?�

A voice from the audience shouted: �We�re going to find that woman and stop her!�

Les Douglas