Pikey
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A pike (type of fish). informal
"The first time he comes to the surface of the water he gasps for breath, his huge mouth gapes, he gives his head a shake and out tumbles the bait, hooks and all, not one of them having had hold, and away goes pikey quite satisfied with his entertainment pro tem., and wondering what that ugly two-legged moster with the hop pole in his hand, and who looked in such a state of perplexity and stew, had to do with the matter"
- 2 An itinerant person, especially one of Romani or Irish Traveller heritage. Ireland, UK, ethnic, offensive, slur
"“They must be the pikeys who live up there. They're a nasty bunch. Shouldn't get mixed up with them.” “Well, we told them to fuck off, they didn't seem that nasty to me! What are pikeys anyway?” “Well, they're like vagabonds.”"
- 3 A working-class (often underclass) person with negative qualities stereotypically ascribed to itinerant people, including rowdiness, theft and poor hygiene. Ireland, UK, derogatory, offensive
"But if there's one thing he hates more than pikeys, it's posh people."
- 1 To steal. Ireland, UK, derogatory, slang
">It's getting hold of a copy that isn't pikeyed that I'm having >difficulty with :-("
- 1 Associated with or filled with pike (fish).
"Like its schoolboy master, the rod built from the cane then chosen has since had many a narrow escape "by flood and fell," and not a few damaged 'tips,' aye, and 'joints' too; but its main timbers are as sound as ever, and I trust may yet be destined to wave death over many a pikey pool and glittering torrent when the hand that chose them is no longer able to do justice to their supple graces."
- 2 Associated with pikeys. Ireland, UK, derogatory, slang
"Blimey. The least pikey place on the planet."
Example
More examples"The first time he comes to the surface of the water he gasps for breath, his huge mouth gapes, he gives his head a shake and out tumbles the bait, hooks and all, not one of them having had hold, and away goes pikey quite satisfied with his entertainment pro tem., and wondering what that ugly two-legged moster with the hop pole in his hand, and who looked in such a state of perplexity and stew, had to do with the matter"
Etymology
From pike + -y.
Possibly from obsolete pike (“depart or travel”), or possibly from turnpike. The verb is derived from the stereotype that the Romani people or other travellers are thieves.
Related phrases
More for "pikey"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.