Definition of "tarrier"

tarrier¹

/ˈtæɹi.ə/

noun
plural tarriers
1. A layabout or loiterer; someone who tarries.
2. (slang, derogatory, UK) A Roman Catholic of Northern Ireland or Scotland.
  Quotations
  Wouldnae even offer Jock Stein – your greatest ever manager – a seat on the board 'cause he wasnae a Tarrier.
  2011, Christopher Brookmyre, The Sacred Art of Stealing
  It was the Irish “tarriers” working on the railroad that provided the context for the folk ballad that began […]
  2015, Peter I. Rose, They and We, page 47

tarrier²

/ˈtɑːɹi.ə/

adjective
1. comparative form of tarry: more tarry

tarrier³

/ˈtæɹi.ə/

noun
plural tarriers
1. Obsolete form of terrier (“kind of dog”).
  Quotations
  Booth's and Doran's “tarriers” guarded the entrance to the town and drew first blood from a visiting dog: […]
  1914, The Catholic Bulletin and Book Review, volume 4, page 370