Séamus since then. Though still used by some as a derogatory term, the great preponderance of Irish and Irish-American law enforcement officers led to a persisting stereotype, and the name "Shamus" continues to refer to Irish-American police and private detectives. Séamus Variant spellings include ', ', ', ', "Shaymus", "Sheamus" and "Shamus". Diminutives include ', ' and "". In the United States, the word "Shamus" is a derogatory slang misspelling of Séamus that arose during the 19th century as more than 4.5 million Irish immigrated to America, peaking at almost two million between 1845 and 1852 during ""The Great Hunger"" (Irish:
A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words of two secret languages, spoken by the wandering tribes of London, the costermongers, and the patterers". It has also been published as The Slang Dictionary: Etymological, Historical, and Anecdotal. The dictionary included criminal slang, back slang, rhyming slang, and other types of slang. Its author, Hotten, included histories of some slangs (back slang and rhyming slang), a detailed bibliography, and a noted definition: Hotten's work was arguably the most important work on swears since Francis Grose's 1785 "Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue". A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant and Vulgar