dickens
noun /ˈdɪkɪnz/
/ˈdɪkɪnz/
the dickens
(old-fashioned, informal)- used in questions instead of ‘devil’ to show that you are annoyed or surprised
- Where the dickens did he go?
- (North American English) used when you are saying how attractive, etc. somebody is
- cute as the dickens
Word Originlate 16th cent.: a euphemism for ‘devil’, probably a use of the surname Dickens.