dicky

American  

[dik-ee] / ˈdɪk i /

noun

dickies plural

1. a variant of dickey.

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dicky ¹ British  

/ ˈdɪkɪ /

noun

1. a woman's false blouse front, worn to fill in the neck of a jacket or low-cut dress

2. a man's false shirt front, esp one worn with full evening dress

3. Also called: dicky bow.  a bow tie

4. an informal name for a donkey, esp a male one

5. Also called: dickybird.   dickeybird.  a child's word for a bird, esp a small one

6. US and Canadian name: rumble seat.  a folding outside seat at the rear of some early cars

7. Also called: boot.  an enclosed compartment of a car for holding luggage, etc, usually at the rear

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dicky ² British  

/ ˈdɪkɪ /

adjective

1. informal in bad condition; shaky, unsteady, or unreliable

   I feel a bit dicky today

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dickies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dicky¹

C18 (in the senses: donkey, shirt front): from Dickey, diminutive of Dick (name); the relationship of the various senses is obscure

Origin of dicky²

C18: perhaps from the name Dick in the phrase as queer as Dick's hatband feeling ill

Example Sentences

"I’m not a Nikki fan and I’m not a Pelosi fan. And when I purposely interpose names they said, ‘He didn’t know Pelosi from Nikki from tricky Nikki, tricky Dicky."

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2024

When Lopez-Zuniga’s attorney, Dicky Grigg, asked if Aguirre had ever mentioned Lopez-Zuniga, Hotze responded: “Never did.”

From Washington Post • May 6, 2022

Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist at Griffith University in Australia, said a third wave of infections is inevitable as long as a large portion of Indonesia’s population remains unprotected against COVID-19.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 29, 2022

In a season dedicated to Dicky, the East L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2021

“So what do you think about your friend Tricky Dicky now, Milt?”

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• choker