Heading
Dick in the green, phr. (thieves').—Weak; inferior. Cf., Dicky.
1812. Vaux, Memoirs, s.v.
In the reign of Queen Dick, adv., phr. (common).—Never; 'when two Sundays come in a week.' For synonyms, see Greek Kalends.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
1864. Standard, 13 Dec., Rev. of Sl. Dicy. Moreover . . . a few days since, a 'bus driver in altercation with his conductor, who threatened him with paying off soon, replied, 'Oh yes, in the reign of queen dick,' which, on inquiry we found to be synonymous with 'Never,' or 'Tib's eve.'
TO SWALLOW THE DICK, verb. phr. (common).—To use long words without knowledge of their meaning; to high falute (American).
Up to Dick, adv. phr. (common).—Not to be 'taken in'; 'artful'; 'fly'; wide-awake. For synonyms, see Downy. Also = up to the mark, i.e., perfectly satisfactory.
1877. J. Greenwood, Under the Blue Blanket. 'Ain't that up to dick, my biffin?' 'I never said it warn't.'
1887. Walford's Antiquarian, April, p. 251. Betwixt you and me I think you'll agree That of course I look 'up to Dick.'
Dickens, subs. (old).—The devil
(q.v.) or deuce (q.v.); used
interchangeably. [A corruption
of NICK (q.v.).'] For synonyms,
see Skipper.
1596. Shakspeare, Merry Wives of Windsor, Act III., Sc. ii. I cannot tell what the dickens his name is.
1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, bk. I., prol. (Bohn), vol. I., p. 99. But hearken, joltheads, you vie-dayes, or dickens take ye.
1727. John Gay, Beggars Opera, Act I. Sc. 1. Peach. What a dickens is the woman always whimpering about murder for! No gentleman is ever looked upon the worse for killing a man in his own defence.
1754. Foote, Knights, Act II. Mally Pengrouse! Who the dickens is she?
1824. R. B. Peake, Americans Abroad, i., 1. Oh! the dickens—I'm stunded.
1880. G. R. Sims, Zeph. ch. xv. 'Inez is fretting after Pedro,' he said to himself, 'but what the dickens is Totty blubbering about?'
1889. C. Haddon Chambers, Ne'er-do-Well, 'In Australian Wilds.' What the dickens could I do? I believe I swore a little at first, and then I flourished my whip.
Dicker, subs. and verb: also
Dickering, subs. (American).—Barter;
swap (q.v.): generally
applied to trade in small articles.
1830. Cobbett, in Rural Rides, I., 199 (1886). It is barter, truck, change, dicker, as the Yankees call it, but, as our horse-jockeys call it, swap, or chop.
1831-90. Whittier, Poems. For peddling dicker, not for honest sales.
1888. New York Weekly Times, 28 March. He had perhaps been considering the advisability of making a dicker with his old political opponents in the hope of bettering his condition.
1888. Denver Republican, 7 April. After some dickering a style of coffin was selected and a price decided upon.
Dickey, subs. (old).—1. A woman's
under petticoat.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
2. (common).—A donkey.
b. 1766, d. 1823. Bloomfield, Richard and Kate. But now, as at some nobler places Amongst the leaders 'twas decreed Time to begin the dicky races, More famed for laughter than for speed.
1841. John Mills, Old Eng. Gentleman, ch. vii., p. 60 (3rd ed.). A young dickey, in the full kick of youth, mistook some sweet briar for a thistle.
3. (common).—A sham shirt front, formerly a worn-out shirt.
