dickey
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Bad, sorry, or foolish; food or lodging is pronounced DICKEY when of a poor description; "very DICKEY", very inferior; "it’s all DICKEY with him," i.e., all over with him.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “dickey” mean?
Bad, sorry, or foolish; food or lodging is pronounced DICKEY when of a poor description; "very DICKEY", very inferior; "it’s all DICKEY with him," i.e., all over with him.
Is “dickey” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.