noun
dickens
DIH-kihnz
noun
1
Used in exclamations as a mild stand-in for "the devil," expressing surprise or frustration.
"What the dickens is going on here?"
"She gave him a scare, that’s for sure — scared the dickens out of him."
How to Use Dickens
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn old-fashioned, mild swear substitute, as in "what the dickens."
When to use it
Dated and mild — used for comic effect rather than genuine offense.
Common pairings
what the dickens
scare the dickens out of
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Etymology
Dates from the late 1500s as a playful use of "Dicken," a pet form of the name Dick — unrelated to the novelist Charles Dickens.