Dickens - Definitions from Dictionary.com

11 results for: Dickens

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

dick·ens

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–noun

devil; deuce (usually prec. by the and often used in exclamations and as a mild imprecation): The dickens you say! What the dickens does he want?

[Origin: 1590–1600; appar. a fanciful use of Dicken, form of Dick, proper name

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Dickens

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dick·ens

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–noun

Charles (John Huf·fam)

Audio Help [huhf-uh

m] Pronunciation Key, (“Boz”), 1812–70, English novelist.

—Related forms

Dick·en·si·an

Audio Help [di-ken-zee-uh

n] Pronunciation Key, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

dick·ens Audio Help (dĭk'ənz) Pronunciation Key
n. Informal

A severe reprimand or expression of anger: gave me the dickens for being late.
Used as an intensive: What in the dickens is that?

[Alteration of devil (influenced by the name Dickens).]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Dick·ens Audio Help (dĭk'ĭnz) Pronunciation Key
British writer known for his tales of Victorian life and times. His works, which first appeared in serialized form, include The Pickwick Papers (1836-1837), Oliver Twist (1837-1838), and David Copperfield (1849-1850).

Dick·en'si·an (dĭ-kěn'zē-ən) adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
dickens

exclamation, 1598, probably altered from Dickon, nickname for Richard and source of the surnames Dickens and Dickenson, but exact derivation and meaning are unknown.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

dickens
noun
1.	a word used in exclamations of confusion; "what the devil"; "the deuce with it"; "the dickens you say" [syn: devil]
2.	English writer whose novels depicted and criticized social injustice (1812-1870)

U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Dickens County, TX (county, FIPS 125) Location: 33.62018 N, 100.77907 W
Population (1990): 2571 (1564 housing units)
Area: 2342.0 sq km (land), 2.6 sq km (water)

Dickens, IA (city, FIPS 21360) Location: 43.13337 N, 95.02207 W
Population (1990): 214 (84 housing units)
Area: 2.2 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 51333

Dickens, NE (village, FIPS 13050) Location: 40.82583 N, 100.99345 W
Population (1990): 16 (7 housing units)
Area: 0.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 69132

Dickens, TX (city, FIPS 20332) Location: 33.62126 N, 100.83583 W
Population (1990): 322 (182 housing units)
Area: 2.6 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 79229

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Dickens

Dick"ens\, n. or interj. [Perh. a contr. of the dim. devilkins.] The devil. [A vulgar euphemism.]

I can not tell what the dickens his name is. --Shak.

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