jim-dandy
Americanadjective
noun
-
jim-dandies
plural
Usage
What does jim-dandy mean? Jim-dandy is an old-timey way to call someone or something great. It’s most commonly used as an adjective, as in That pie was jim-dandy! But it can also be used as a noun, as in That pie was a jim-dandy! The adjective dandy by itself, meaning “excellent” or “first-rate,” is a close synonym. Jim-dandy is also sometimes spelled jim dandy (without the hyphen). The origin of the term isn’t known, but it may be based on the title of an 1840s’ minstrel song about a Black character named “Dandy Jim” that contains racist language and stereotypes.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of jim-dandy
1875–80; special use of Jim (proper name) + dandy ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I finished up with a jim-dandy meal at Cafe Classico and a drink at the Radisson Lackawanna, the derelict train station in “That Championship Season” that has been resurrected as a spiffy hotel.
From New York Times ● Aug. 27, 2010
I saw right away that Grandpa’s idea was a jim-dandy, but there was one thing that was bothering me.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
W’y, it’s right there in the parler––jest above the pianney––and a jim-dandy piece of steel engraving she is, too.”
From Hidden Water by Maynard Dixon
Well, say," said the boss, with warm admiration, "if he ain't two ends an' the middle of a jim-dandy rustler from 'way back, you can search me!
From Finn The Wolfhound by Robert Hugh Buxton
Which meant that everything was jim-dandy as long as the wiring diagrams were labeled in the Cyrillic alphabet.
From The Foreign Hand Tie by Randall Garrett
"Put these jim-dandies on top with the yaller side up," he commanded.
From Dixie Hart by Will N. (William Nathaniel) Harben
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
