American wake
n.— «Connolly then recounted the first time he picked up a fiddle; he was about 9 or 10 years old and was at a party for his Uncle Patty who was immigrating to the United States. Such going-away-parties in Ireland were referred to as “American wakes” because those who immigrated to the United States were “considered dead or gone forever,” as Connolly said.» —“Ten-time Fiddler champion offers advice” by Jamie Fleming in Boston College The Heights (Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts) Mar. 19, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Bookshop|Amazon) had an earlier title: A Week with Willie the Worm. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Title” Here’s another book title that...
The phrase potatoes and point involves a family tradition from times of scarcity when eaters would point to an imaginary food and ask for it to be passed when there was clearly no such food to be had. Irish sources trace potatoes and point to the...