A Dicky Heart and a Dicky Bow Are Different Words
Dicky means unreliable in British informal speech. It also names a false shirt front, and neither sense has much to do with the other.
Dicky is British informal for unsound or unreliable, especially of health — a *dicky heart* or *dicky knee*. A second, separate sense names a false shirt front worn under evening dress, which gives *dicky bow*, the British term for a bow tie. The garment sense probably comes from the name Dick used generically for a man, as *jack* is in *jack plug* and *jackboot*. A *dicky seat* is a folding rear seat in an old car.
- Unreliable (British). *A dicky knee.*
- A false shirt front. *A starched dicky.*
- Dicky bow — a bow tie. *A black dicky bow.*
- Dicky seat — a folding car seat. *The dicky seat.*
- Dicky bird — a small bird, nursery word. *Not a dicky bird.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | dicky | A dicky heart. |
| Noun | dicky | A shirt dicky. |
| Alt spelling | dickey | Also written dickey. |
| Compound | dicky bow | A dicky bow. |
| Phrase | not a dicky bird | Not a dicky bird. |
- He's off work with a dicky back.British informal.
- He wore a dicky bow to the dinner.Clothing.
- I haven't heard a dicky bird.Rhyming slang for word.
Names used as generic words
- Dicky — from Dick, for a false shirt front
- Jack — jack plug, jackboot, jack of all trades
- Jimmy — a burglar's crowbar
- Tom — a male cat, a tomcat
- Billy — a billy goat, and a billycan
The garment sense is recorded from the 1700s, probably from the personal name Dick. The sense of unsound health appears in the 1800s and may be unrelated.
What is a dicky bow?
British informal for a bow tie, named after the dicky, the false shirt front worn under formal dress.
What does not a dicky bird mean?
Nothing at all. It is Cockney rhyming slang, where dicky bird rhymes with word.