dickens

Etymology

It is probably the surname Dickens used as a substitute for devil,^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]} chosen because it begins with the same sound, as deuce was used in the same way.^[2] The surname, recorded as Dicones in 1377, is a variant of Dicken, which arose from Dicun, a pet form of Dick;^[2] Hoad and Weekley trace Dicken or Dickon further to the name Richard.^[8][9] The OED also compares the suffix -kins.^[2] Etymonline considers the derivation from Dickon probable but its exact route and meaning unknown, and notes that the Century Dictionary pointed instead to Low German duks and düker, variants of deuce.^[10] Johnson (1755) wrote that he did not know where it came from.^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

The devil, in the question what the dickens: Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor has "I cannot tell what the dickens his name is",^{[12][3][4][11]} which Green's Dictionary of Slang dates before 1597 and Barnhart to 1598;^[12][3] the OED's first record is from Heywood's Edward IV (1599).^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word was used from the start in oaths and phrases, first after what, where or how to express surprise or annoyance, formerly also with the indefinite article (what a dickens).^[2][10] New phrases followed: the dickens take you (1653), the interjection the dickens! (1697), to play the dickens with, to cause mischief (1771, Smollett), like the dickens, with great energy or speed (1823), a dickens of a (1829) and the dickens out of (1876).^[2] From 1830 to 1909 it was also used simply for the Devil.^[2] Once Charles Dickens became famous as Boz, the name invited puns: in 1837 Bentley's Miscellany asked "who the dickens 'Boz' could be".^[12][7] Merriam-Webster also records it for the worst part of a difficulty, or a lively, mischievous child.^[4]

Timeline

• before 1597 – what the dickens, in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor.^[12]
• 1598 – the same play, as dated by Barnhart and Merriam-Webster.^[3][4]
• 1599 – first OED record, in Heywood's Edward IV.^[2]
• 1653 – the dickens take you.^[2]
• 1697 – the interjection the dickens!.^[2]
• 1771 – to play the dickens with.^[2]
• 1823 – like the dickens.^[2]
• 1829 – a dickens of a.^[2]
• 1833 – to go to the dickens.^[2]
• 1876 – the dickens out of.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (informal) The devil, used as a mild euphemism to add force to a question expressing surprise or annoyance: Where the dickens did I put my glasses?^[7][4][2][5]
2. Used in set phrases as an intensifier, such as like the dickens (with great speed or energy), as cold as the dickens and the dickens out of (to an extreme degree).^[2][4][5]
3. play the dickens with: to cause mischief or havoc for.^[2][5]
4. The worst part or difficulty of something.^[4]
5. A lively, mischievous child.^[4]

Related words

• devil
• deuce
• dick

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
8. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
11. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
12. ^ a b c d Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com