dickens
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L319426 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈdɪkɪnz/ / /ˈdɪkənz/
name
Etymology: From Dicken, a medieval diminutive form of Dick + the patronymic suffix -s.
- A surname originating as a patronymic, notably borne by Charles Dickens, English novelist.
- A small city, the county seat of Dickens County, Texas, United States.
noun
Etymology: Origin: 1590–1600; apparently a fanciful use of the proper name Dicken, diminutive form of Dick.
- The devil.
“She can go to the dickens for what she said.”
“You scared the dickens out of me.”
- A disturbance or row.
“Hugh considered saying, Then I guess I'll just have to kick you a few times instead, you frog son of a bitch. Then he thought of that fat bastard Keeton, handing him a pink slip for kicking up dickens in the local tavern.”
“And lastly, thanks to my children, Dutch and Tallulah, for allowing me to see the magic of everything I love about popular culture anew through their eyes. This one is for you two dickens!”
- Used as an intensifier in the phrase the dickens; see that entry.
“Why the dickens did he do that?”
“We had the dickens of a row.”