Molly Maguires
Preserved but no longer current.
An Irish secret society organized m 1843. Stout, active young Irish- men dressed up in women's clothes and otherwise disguised themselves to surprise those employed to enforce the payment of rests. Their victims were ducked in bog-holes, and many were beaten most unmercifully.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Molly Maguires” mean?
An Irish secret society organized m 1843. Stout, active young Irish- men dressed up in women's clothes and otherwise disguised themselves to surprise those employed to enforce the payment of rests. Their victims were ducked in bog-holes, and many were beaten most unmercifully.
Is “Molly Maguires” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.