# Dick

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick/125149>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [August 22, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick/125149 "2002-08-22T22:53:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kid\_A.T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@kid\_A.T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kid_A.T)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick/125149/1 "2002-08-22T22:53:29Z")

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[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdick.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdick.html)

Two entries in the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue:

Dick. That happened in the reign of the queen Dick, i.e.  
never : said of any absurd old story. I am as queer as  
Dick’s hatband ; that is, out of spirits, or don’t know what  
ails me.

Dicked In The Knob. Silly. Crazed.

My guess is that someone who was being a jerk was “dicked in the knob”, which was shortened to “being a dick”, and even shorter as “a dick”.

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**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick/125149/2 "2002-08-22T23:29:49Z")

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Note Cole Porter’s lyrics from Kiss Me Kate, sung by Kate’s mad-to-marry sister, who wants

Any Tom, Dick or Harry,  
Any Tom, Harry or Dick.

A dicka dick  
A dicka dick.

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**Author:** ![staev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@staev](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/staev)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick/125149/3 "2002-08-27T23:48:34Z")

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What about thar Brittish tradition, Spotted Dick?

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick/125149/4 "2002-08-28T01:42:09Z")

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Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, staev, glad to have you with us.

Funny you should mention that: [What’s the origin of “spotted dick”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mspotteddick.html) is today’s Staff Report. Thanks for the plug!

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick/125149/5 "2002-08-28T03:32:51Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> My guess is that someone who was being a jerk was “dicked in the knob”, which was shortened to “being a dick”, and even shorter as “a dick”.

Interesting guess, but nothing to back it up.

“Dicked in the nob” is a stand-alone phrase from 1811. It appears in _Lexicon Balatron_.: “Dicked in the Nob. Silly. Crazed.”

It didn’t appear in Grose’s _Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Toungue._ It wasn’t in the 1788 edition , nor the 1796.

It did appear in his 1811 work named as I entered above.

Of course it probably was in speech well before that date.

Not much in print to suggest that the 1811 phrase went on to become “being a dick.” What would one be who was being a “dick?” It’s possible that it could have meant “penis” in the early 1800’s, but not much to prove it.