Paddywagon and Black Maria are slang terms for either a police car, or a police vehicle used to transport large groups of people who have been arrested.
The word paddywagon is of American origin. The precise origin of the term is uncertain and disputed, though its use dates back to at least the beginning of the 1900s. There are at least three theories as to how the phrase originated.
- The most prevalent theory is based on the term “Paddy” (a common Irish shortening of Patrick), which was used (sometimes as derogatory slang) to refer to Irish people. Irishmen made up a large percentage of the officers of early police forces in many American cities. Thus, this theory suggests that the concentration of Irish in the police forces led to the term “paddywagon” being used to describe the vehicles driven by police.
- An alternative theory is similarly based on the term “Paddy” but states that the term arose due to the number of immigrant Irish being arrested for having consumed too much Guinness and taken away in the vehicles.
- The final theory holds that the name originates from the paddling used on the inside of police horse-drawn carriages to prevent injury.
There is no question about the origin of Flynn’s Paddywagon- it was destined to bring Guinness and beer to the people. It can hold 15 kegs with 8 taps. What could be better?
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A traditional Paddywagon from 1909
Flynn's Paddywagon