Mick

Mick is a masculine given name or nickname, usually a hypocorism of Michael. Because of its popularity in Ireland, it is often used in the English-speaking world as an ethnic slur for Irish people. In Australia, the meaning also broadened to include all Catholics. A colloquial but possibly false etymology also attributes the origin of the slur to the prevalence of Irish surnames containing the patronymic prefix "Mc-" (or Mhic); whether this patronym significantly contributed to the development of the slur is debated, but the prevalence of the first name or nickname "Mick" among Irish people is considered by etymologists to be its primary origin.