What does "dicky" mean?
A louse.
Dicky
/ˈdɪki/ adj, name, noun, slang
adj, name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A louse.
- Grammar: dicky is listed as adj, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: cad, defective, dickey, dickey.
- Useful contrasts: decent person, functional, gentleman.
- Usage evidence: Although I have been called Dicky since I was a baby, my real name is Richard.
How to use "dicky"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dicky" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dicky" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dicky" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dicky" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dicky" is acting as adj, name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cad" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dicky", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A louse. colloquial
- 2 A penis (dick). slang, vulgar
- 3 a man's detachable insert (usually starched) to simulate the front of a shirt wordnet
- 4 Dicky dirt = a shirt, meaning a shirt with a collar. Cockney, slang
- 5 a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater wordnet
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 A detachable shirt front, collar or bib.
- 7 A hat, especially (in the US) a stiff hat or derby, and (in the UK) a straw hat. dated, slang
- 8 A seat behind a carriage or early motor car, for a servant. dated
"...and she was just in time to see Mr. Boyne Sillery hand her aunt into a carriage, jump in himself, when it drove off with a rapidity which scarcely allowed her to observe that a large imperial was on the top, and her aunt's servant, with a huge bandbox, on the dickey."
- 9 A seat in a carriage, for the driver. dated
- 10 The luggage storage compartment of a sedan/saloon style car. South-Asia
"Can you open the dicky for me?"
- 11 the buttocks. India, colloquial
- 12 A leather apron for a gig, etc. historical
- 13 A small bird; a dicky-bird.
- 14 An insignificant sound or thing; dicky-bird. UK, idiomatic
"Oh, she landed at Heathrow all right, like you said, but since then your Miss Ranelagh seems to have vanished as effectively as my overdue promotion. Not used her credit card, her Internet account, her mobile phone. Nothing. Not a dicky."
- 15 A pilot. UK, slang
- 16 A hedge sparrow. UK, dialectal
- 17 A donkey. UK, dialectal
"I've heard grandfather say that when Mr. Priest was at his best there was scores o' young gents as used to come to school as day-boys, 'cause there was no room for 'em to board; and they used to come on dickies […]"
- 18 A haddock.
Adjective
- 1 In bad condition; weak, faulty, unreliable, doubtful, troublesome. colloquial
"He had a dicky heart."
- 2 Like a dick, foolish or obnoxious. informal, vulgar
Adjective
- 1 (British informal) faulty wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A diminutive of the male given name Richard.
Antonyms
Example
"Although I have been called Dicky since I was a baby, my real name is Richard."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dicky"?
Common synonyms include: cad, defective, dickey, dickey, dickey-seat, dickie.
How do you use "dicky" in a sentence?
Although I have been called Dicky since I was a baby, my real name is Richard.
How do you pronounce "dicky"?
Pronounced /ˈdɪki/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Dick + -y.
Etymology 2
From Dicky, pet form of Richard. * In cover/apron senses: perhaps from English dialect dick (“leather apron”) + -y; perhaps from Dutch dek (“a cover”).
Etymology 3
Unknown. Perhaps a use of Dicky, hypocoristic form of Dick, perhaps playing on its resemblance to tricky, sticky, or other similar-sounding words. Alternatively, perhaps an alteration of dickens.
Etymology 4
From dick + -y (diminutive suffix), apparently originally punningly after Etymology 1.
Etymology 5
From dick + -y (adjectival suffix).