unlicked
Preserved but no longer current.
Ill-trained, uncouth, rude, and rough; an "UNLICKED cub" is a loutish youth who has never been taught manners; from the tradition that a bear’s cub, when brought into the world, has no shape or symmetry until its dam licks it into form with her tongue. Possibly said of a boy who has been petted, i.e., who has been insufficiently thrashed or licked. Case of spared rod and spoilt child.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
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 “unlicked” mean?
Ill-trained, uncouth, rude, and rough; an "UNLICKED cub" is a loutish youth who has never been taught manners; from the tradition that a bear’s cub, when brought into the world, has no shape or symmetry until its dam licks it into form with her tongue. Possibly said of a boy who has been petted, i.e., who has been insufficiently thrashed or licked. Case of spared rod and spoilt child.
Is “unlicked” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.