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:
Historical Dictionary of American Slang P – S [Part 1]", , and "Volume 4, S [Part 2] – Z". As of 2018, however, those volumes have not yet been published. Each entry includes representative quotations, including the earliest quotation using the word. HDAS is edited by Jonathan E. Lighter of the University of Tennessee. It is sometimes compared to "Green's Dictionary of Slang", which takes a generally similar approach but is not focused specifically on American slang. The "HDAS" is not to be confused with the "DAS", the "Dictionary of American Slang" (1975). Historical Dictionary of American Slang The Historical Dictionary of American Slang, often