Brogueing

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Speaking with or adopting an Irish brogue ; crafting or mending brogue-style shoes ; piercing leather with decorative or functional holes
2. Adopting an Irish accent or manner of speech ; constructing or restoring brogues as footwear ; perforating leather material intentionally
3. Using an Irish brogue in one's speech ; manufacturing or fixing brogue shoes ; making deliberate punctures or openings in leather

Etymology: "Brogueing" is an inflected form: the present participle and gerund of "brogue", so it describes the act of speaking with a brogue. The noun it comes from began as a plain piece of footwear. In Irish, "bróg" meant "boot" or "shoe", and it descends from Old Irish "bróc", which covered shoes, leggings and breeches alike. Those older words likely trace back to Old Norse "brók", meaning breeches, and further to a Proto-Germanic root for the same garment. The leap from clothing to accent is the surprising part. English speakers first used "brogue" for a coarse, heavy shoe, and then for the rough speech of the people who wore them. Some etymologists instead connect the accent sense to Irish "barróg", meaning a hold or grip, a reference to the way the tongue seems to grip the words. The shoe explanation is the more widely accepted one, and the two senses are not known to be connected by any documented chain of use.