Perusing the Programme for Government, I nearly spat out my tea when I read about “hectacres”.

Hectacre is an inadvertent hybrid of hectare and acre.

A makey-uppy word, if you will, sometimes heard in the Dáil and in parish halls.

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Now it’s in the Programme for Government, written by the people who want to run the country.

My initial shock soon gave way to wondering – could this be a cute way to confuse the lads over in Brussels?

If we talk in acres, they talk in hectares and the deal is done in hectacres... will I get a bigger cheque in the post?