dido

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points: 6
Words With Friends: 6
Letters: 4

Pronunciation

/ˈdaɪdəʊ/

Definition of dido

5 senses · 3 parts of speech · etymology included

noun

(regional, slang)A fuss, a row.

“… she always had strong physical attraction for me … that time I kissed her … one reason I’ve steered clear since … take no chances on emotional didos …”
“I remember Raymond telling me years later how when he lived at home, if his mother heard he had been seen as much as talking to a girl, she would kick up a dido.”

See all 5 definitions

noun

(regional, slang)A fuss, a row.

“… she always had strong physical attraction for me … that time I kissed her … one reason I’ve steered clear since … take no chances on emotional didos …”
“I remember Raymond telling me years later how when he lived at home, if his mother heard he had been seen as much as talking to a girl, she would kick up a dido.”
A shrewd trick; an antic; a caper.

“Young people," interposed a passing official, "if you keep a cutting didoes, I must talk to you both like a Dutch uncle.”
“Our youngest uncle, Billy, was not old enough to join in their didoes. One of their more flamboyant escapades has become a proud family legend.”
(abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable)Initialism of drive-in drive-out.

adv

(US, alt-of, misspelling)Misspelling of ditto.

name

(Greek)and (Roman mythology) Legendary founder and first queen of Carthage.

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

Unknown. The "trick" sense might come from the trick of Dido, queen of Carthage, who, having bought as much land as a hide would cover, is said to have cut it into thin strips long enough to enclose a spot for a citadel.