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
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
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
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.

RELATED WORDS

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