Biffos and Buffalos
The concept of “BIFFO,” long known to those of us from a small island on the western periphery of Europe, hits the political science blogosphere. As Matthew Shugart notes:
Ireland’s new Taoiseach will be a “Big ignorant fellow from Offaly.”
This explanation of the acronym very nearly accords with the more usual explanation that I’ve heard back home, with the prominent exception of the third word. More usually “fellow” is replaced by another word beginning with ‘f.’ Matthew fails to mention that the new Taoiseach, Brian Cowen1 is also a BUFFALO, or Big Ugly [Fellow] From Around Laois-Offaly. Important to know should you ever meet him and wish to preserve the diplomatic niceties of appropriate nomenclature &c.
1 No relation to Tyler, who was bemused when I told him a few years back that an Irish politician shared his surname; apparently it is a quite unusual name when it is spelled with an ‘en’ at the end rather than an ‘an.’
You’re also going to need help people with the pronunciation of Laois.
Laois sounds “leash” said with an Australian accent.
And that Laois-Offaly is Biffo’s constituency
I was first married in Co. Offaly and on the wedding day learned this curious acronym, written on a car’s dirty bumper in the car park. Who first came up with it?
Also, “ignorant” in Hiberno-English often implies bull-headedness more than lack of knowledge.