the-dickens
ɪnz noun
devil; deuce (usually preceded 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; apparently a fanciful use of Dicken, form of Dick, proper name
1590–1600; apparently a fanciful use of Dicken, form of Dick, proper name
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To the-dickens
Collins
World English Dictionary
dickens (ˈdɪkɪnz) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| informal a euphemistic word for devil : what the dickens? | |
| [C16: from the name Dickens] | |
00:10
The-dickens
is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| Dickens (ˈdɪkɪnz) | |
| —n | |
| Charles (John Huffam), pen name Boz. 1812--70, English novelist, famous for the humour and sympathy of his characterization and his criticism of social injustice. His major works include The Pickwick Papers (1837), Oliver Twist (1839), Nicholas Nickleby (1839), Old Curiosity Shop (1840--41), Martin Chuzzlewit (1844), David Copperfield (1850), Bleak House (1853), Little Dorrit (1857), and Great Expectations (1861) | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
dickens definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
