dickey: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowMostly informal, dated; technical/specific in historical clothing and automotive contexts.
Quick answer
What does “dickey” mean?
A detachable false shirt front, collar, or bib, worn to give the appearance of a full shirt or blouse underneath outer clothing.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A detachable false shirt front, collar, or bib, worn to give the appearance of a full shirt or blouse underneath outer clothing.
A secondary folding seat in a carriage or automobile; a small, open passenger seat at the rear of a car (British usage). Can also refer to an undersized, weak, or inferior thing (informal, dated). In British English, historically also a donkey (childish/colloquial, obsolete).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In US English, the clothing meaning is primary. In UK English, 'dickey' is far more common for the folding rear seat of a car. The donkey/animal sense was British.
Connotations
Historical, old-fashioned, quaint. Can be humorous when used anachronistically. Not considered vulgar.
Frequency
Extremely low in modern general use. Most frequent in UK English for the car seat meaning (e.g., 'riding in the dickey').
Grammar
How to Use “dickey” in a Sentence
wear a dickeyattach the dickeyride in the dickey of a carVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “dickey” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- He felt a bit dickey after his illness (dated informal = unwell).
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in historical studies of fashion or transport.
Everyday
Very rare; mostly used by older generations or in historical reenactment.
Technical
Specific term in vintage clothing collecting and classic car restoration.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “dickey”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “dickey”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “dickey”
- Spelling: 'dicky' is a common variant. Not to be confused with 'dickie' (bird).
- Assuming it's modern slang; it is not contemporary. Using it to mean a modern car's boot/trunk is incorrect.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is not considered vulgar or offensive. It is an old-fashioned, innocuous term for clothing or a car part.
No, 'dickey' is not standardly used as a verb in contemporary English.
They are similar. A 'dickey' (British) is typically an open, folding seat at the back of a car. A 'rumble seat' (American) is often a seat that folds into the car's body, but the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.
Very rarely. The concept survives in specific costume or theatrical contexts, and in some modern 'modesty panels' or 'cami covers,' but the term 'dickey' itself is largely historical.
A detachable false shirt front, collar, or bib, worn to give the appearance of a full shirt or blouse underneath outer clothing.
Dickey is usually mostly informal, dated; technical/specific in historical clothing and automotive contexts. in register.
Dickey: in British English it is pronounced /ˈdɪki/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈdɪki/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “all dicky/dickey (dated British slang for something wrong or unsound)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine Dickey, a dapper but poor Victorian gentleman, who could only afford the front (dickey) of a shirt to look smart.
Conceptual Metaphor
SURFACE FOR SUBSTANCE (The visible part stands in for the whole). APPARENCE OVER REALITY.
Practice
Quiz
Which of these is the most common modern understanding of 'dickey' in British English?