dicky

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

dick·y

(dĭk′ē)

Variant of dickey.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

dicky

(ˈdɪkɪ) or

dickey

n, pl dickies or dickeys

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

2. (Clothing & Fashion) a man's false shirt front, esp one worn with full evening dress

3. (Clothing & Fashion) Also called: dicky bow Brit a bow tie

4. (Animals) chiefly Brit an informal name for a donkey, esp a male one

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

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

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

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

dicky

(ˈdɪkɪ) or

dickey

adj, dickier or dickiest

informal Brit in bad condition; shaky, unsteady, or unreliable: I feel a bit dicky today.

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

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	dicky - a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater dickey, dickey-seat, dickie, dickie-seat, dicky-seat backseat - a seat at the back of a vehicle (especially the seat at the back of an automobile) Britain, Great Britain, U.K., UK, United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom
	2.	dicky - a man's detachable insert (usually starched) to simulate the front of a shirt dickey, dickie, shirtfront insert, inset - an artifact that is inserted or is to be inserted shirt - a garment worn on the upper half of the body
Adj.	1.	dicky - (British informal) faulty; "I've got this dicky heart"- John le Carre dickey colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech Britain, Great Britain, U.K., UK, United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom impaired - diminished in strength, quality, or utility; "impaired eyesight"

dicky

adjective (Brit. informal) weak, poorly, dodgy, queer (informal), shaky, unreliable, sickly, unsteady, unsound, iffy (informal), fluttery He always has a dicky stomach after eating curry.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

asinello barcollante davantino [di camicia]malfermo malridotto

dicky

[ˈdɪkɪ] ADJ (dickier (compar) (dickiest (superl)))

1. = dickey

2. to have a dicky heart (Brit) → tener el corazón fastidiado

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

dicky

adj (inf) heart → angeknackst (inf); I feel a bit dicky (dated) → ich bin ziemlich ab (inf) → or erschossen (inf)

n = dickey

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

dicky

[ˈdɪkɪ]

1. n (of shirt) → pettino

2. adj (-ier (comp) (-iest (superl))) (Brit) (fam) (heart) → malandato/a

References in classic literature ?

"My dear Dicky," she interrupted, laughing at his expression, "you need not look so displeased with me.

Don't be foolish, Dicky. You have your hat in your hand.

View in context

"They're little dicky shirt- fronts belonging to Tom Titmouse --most terrible particular!" said Mrs.

View in context

"I'm not so keen on golf as some of the fellows, and my arm's still a little dicky, but I'm fed up with London, and I'm not allowed even to come before the Board again for a fortnight, so I rather welcome the chance of getting right away.