dickens
dickens Lexical Profile
dickens Game Scores & Validity
• noun
(capitalized) Charles Dickens (1812–1870), a celebrated English novelist and social critic of the Victorian era, or his literary works collectively.
"She spent the winter evenings reading Dickens by the fireplace."
A mild euphemism for the devil or deuce, used informally after "the" for emphasis in questions or idioms expressing surprise, annoyance, or extreme degree.
"What the dickens were they thinking when they painted the historic facade bright pink?"
• interjection
Used as a mild exclamation to express surprise, annoyance, or frustration.
"Oh dickens, I left my umbrella on the commuter train again!"
Word Nuance & Usage
The informal expression "what the dickens" is an older euphemism for "what the devil" and is unrelated to the 19th-century novelist Charles Dickens, as it already appeared in Shakespeare's *The Merry Wives of Windsor* (c. 1597).
• Rhymes for dickens
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
As a mild oath, attested since the late 16th century, likely arose as a rhyming or alliterative euphemism for "devil" derived from the common English surname Dickens (a patronymic diminutive of Richard).