biddy

¹ American  

[bid-ee] / ˈbɪd i /

noun

Chiefly New England, South Midland, and Southern U.S.

biddies plural

1. a chicken.

2. a newly hatched chick.

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biddy ² American  

[bid-ee] / ˈbɪd i /

noun

biddies plural

1. a fussbudget, especially a fussy old woman.

2. a female domestic servant, especially a cleaning woman.

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biddy ¹ British  

/ ˈbɪdɪ /

noun

1. a dialect word for chicken hen

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biddy ² British  

/ ˈbɪdɪ /

noun

1. informal a woman, esp an old gossipy or interfering one

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Usage

What does biddy mean? Biddy can refer to a nosy, old woman or attractive, young woman. Both uses can be considered offensive. Content warning: this article contains references to sexual and sexist content.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• biddies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of biddy¹

1595–1605; compare British dialect biddy (< ?) with same sense, usually as a call to chickens

Origin of biddy²

1700–10; special use of Biddy, by-form of Bridget ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

biddy biddies

In a society that tries to relegate older women to biddy status the moment they turn 50, they persisted.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2023

But he’s OK with his undies smelling like pee when he doesn’t shake his biddy out enough, and he’s OK with his armpits being riper than brown bananas.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2020

“Good riddance, I say,” one old biddy curses the missing barmaid.

From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2018

Scott started volunteering 20 years ago after a friend and longtime bone biddy recruited her.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 17, 2018

“That mountain lion had as much right to his life as that sour old biddy does to hers,” he said.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

An idyllic English country house during a nondescript period of the early 20th century, a body in the library, a stuffy colonel and steely butler and bridge playing old biddies and et cetera et cetera.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2023

Choreographer Warren Carlyle appears to have convinced Zaks that “The Music Man” is a dance show; the townsfolk, from kiddies to biddies, spin and kick at the drop of a straw hat.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2022

Though the friendship is still rocky, Jones remains hopeful: "I think when we're old biddies we're going to laugh about it."

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2021

Mitchell, the store owner, laughed with other needleworkers who jokingly referred to themselves as “old biddies knitting …” well, you can fill in the rest.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 22, 2017

Papa blushed and said, “Well, uh, let’s see, son. It’s kind of like the way hens lay eggs and then biddies hatch out of the eggs.”

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns