Definition
Plural of 'dickens,' an archaic or dialectal term meaning the devil or a mischievous spirit; used in mild exclamations like 'what the dickens!'
Etymology
The singular 'dickens' likely derives from 'Dick' as a euphemistic substitute for 'devil,' similar to how 'deuce' is used. Its origins are unclear, but it appears in English literature by the 16th century as a mild oath.
Kelly Says
The phrase 'what the dickens!' is a clever euphemism—people said it to avoid saying 'what the devil!' in church or polite company, so it became a Victorian favorite!
Translations
CACatalà
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
CSČeština
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
DADansk
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
DEDeutsch
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
ELΕλληνικά
Ντίκενς
dee-kens
ESEspañol
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
FISuomi
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
FRFrançais
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
HAHA
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
HUMagyar
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
IDBahasa Indonesia
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
IGIG
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
ITItaliano
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
MSBahasa Melayu
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
NLNederlands
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
NONorsk
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
PLPolski
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
PTPortuguês
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
RORomână
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
RUРусский
Диккенсы
dikk-en-sy
SVSvenska
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
SWKiswahili
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
TAதமிழ்
டிக்கன்ஸ்
ti-kan-s
TEతెలుగు
డికెన్స్
di-ken-s
TLTL
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
TRTürkçe
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
UKУкраїнська
Діккенси
dikk-en-sy
VITiếng Việt
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses
ZUZU
Dickenses
dikk-en-ses