Irish pennant
n.— «The term “Irish pennant” derives from the Royal Navy during the time of sailing ships. It was a loose or untidy end of a line. In Navy and Marine Corps parlance today, an Irish pennant is a loose thread on a uniform, for which you get gigged at inspection.» —“Irish Pennants” by Jack Kelly Irish Pennants May 5, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What if, instead of being an inanimate object, a dictionary were alive? That’s the idea behind a lavishly illustrated new children’s book called The Dictionary Story (Bookshop|Amazon) by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston. This is part of a...
Rowan in Ottawa, Ontario, says her Irish mom used a puzzling word to indicate a sort of restless discontent not caused by anything in particular. It may be neamhchinnte, which means “uncertain” or “indecisive.” This is part...