dandy

[ dan-dee ]

/ ˈdæn di /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dandy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural dan·dies.

a man who is excessively concerned about his clothes and appearance; a fop.

Informal. something or someone of exceptional or first-rate quality: Your reply was a dandy.

adjective, dan·di·er, dan·di·est.

characteristic of a dandy; foppish.

Informal. fine; excellent; first-rate: a dandy vacation spot.

Nearby words

Origin of dandy

First recorded in 1770–80; origin uncertain

Related formsdan·di·ly, dan·dy·ish·ly, dan·di·a·cal·ly

[dan-dahy-uh k-lee] /dænˈdaɪ ək li/, adverbdan·dy·ish, dan·di·a·cal, adjectivedan·dy·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dandy

As well as being less flirtatious, Capaldi is far less of a dandy.
Doctor Who’s ‘Deep Breath’: The 2,000-Year-Old Time Lord Grows Up|Nico Hines|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Gary Hume dressed as a Mexican dandy and sold tequila slammers.
Joshua Compston Was Once the Wunderkind of the British Art World…and Now He’s Been Practically Forgotten|Anthony Haden-Guest|January 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That's all fine and dandy, except that it propagates a potentially false story from an unsavory source.
How Israeli Government Officials Fueled A Conspiracy Website Story About Iran|Ali Gharib|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The substance of their positions, to them, is fine and dandy.
Michael Tomasky on the Ridiculousness of Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio|Michael Tomasky|December 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Toff, (slang) n: a person of the upper classes; a swell, dandy; a good sort.
David Cameron’s Toff Problem|Mike Giglio|May 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Dandy party given for me after it, by Thomas J. Watersell, the steel man.
The Trail of the Hawk|Sinclair Lewis
In three days there were no more rats left, and Dandy began to utter his weird, blood-curdling howls—he wanted to come on deck.
The Call Of The South|Louis Becke
Before he could emerge from the water, the future dandy author of Pelham had to borrow a suit of corduroys from a rustic.
The Continental Monthly, Vol 2, No 6, December 1862|Various
Then the burly fellow turned suddenly to Martin: "Here, you son of a dandy!"
Quintus Oakes|Charles Ross Jackson
Then he twirled fiercely at both ends of his mustache till it stood out with the wire finish of a Parisian dandy.
Lords of the North|A. C. Laut

British Dictionary definitions for dandy

dandy

/ (ˈdændɪ) /

noun plural -dies

a man greatly concerned with smartness of dress; beau

a yawl or ketch

adjective -dier or -diest

informal very good or fine

Derived Formsdandily, adverbdandyish, adjectivedandyism, noun

Word Origin for dandy

C18: perhaps short for jack-a-dandy

noun

another name for dengue

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dandy

dandy

c.1780, of uncertain origin; it first appeared in a Scottish border ballad:

I've heard my granny crack
O' sixty twa years back
When there were sic a stock of Dandies O

etc. In that region, Dandy is diminutive of Andrew (as it was in Middle English generally). The word was in vogue in London c.1813-1819. His female counterpart was a dandizette (1821) with French-type ending. The adjective dandy first recorded 1792; very popular c.1880-1900. Related: Dandified; dandify.

Idioms and Phrases with dandy

dandy

see fine and dandy.

dandy

noun, plural dan·dies.

adjective, dan·di·er, dan·di·est.

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Nearby words

Origin of dandy

Examples from the Web for dandy

dandy

noun plural -dies

adjective -dier or -diest

Word Origin for dandy

noun

dandy

dandy