a district in NW Northern Ireland, in Co Londonderry. Pop: 106 456 (2003 est). Area: 387 sq km (149 sq miles)
another name for Londonderry
First recorded in 1545–55; of obscure origin
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A "derry" - slang for a derelict building - offered an option to young people seeking an alternative to the "taxpaying nine-to-five" lifestyle, says Prof Cohen.
From BBC • Oct. 4, 2019
When he heard them stir he clapped his hands, and cried: ‘Hey! Come merry dol! derry dol! My hearties!’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
This accounts for the original name, which Dugdale tells us was Derry-yate-end: derry, low; yate, gate; end, extremity of the parish; with which it perfectly agrees.
From An History of Birmingham (1783) by Hutton, William
Heigh-ho! the carrion crow, Derry, derry, derry, decco.
From The Baby's Bouquet A Fresh Bunch of Rhymes and Tunes by Crane, Walter
Then let us be modestly merry, And rejoice with a derry down derry.
From The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan by Gilbert, W. S. (William Schwenck), Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
