Mickey en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈmɪki/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
The proper noun is derived from Mick (“diminutive of the male given name Michael”) + -ey (a variant of -y (diminutive suffix)). The common noun is derived from the proper noun. Noun senses 1 (“Mickey Mouse cartoon”) and 3.2 (“type of bombsight assisted by radar”) are short forms of Mickey Mouse. Noun sense 2 (“synonym of Mick”) refers to the fact that since the 17th century Michael and its diminutives Mick, Mickey, and Mike have been one of the most common names in Ireland, and that many Irish people are Roman Catholic. Noun sense 3.1 is a short form of Mickey Finn.
Meanings
- (informal, rare) A Mickey Mouse cartoon.
- (derogatory, offensive, slang) Synonym of Mick. ▸ A Roman Catholic person.
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(US, derogatory, offensive, slang) Synonym of Mick. ▸ An Irishman.
National identity and ethnic origin mapped gang territory: ‘Little Italy’; ‘Little Sicily’; ‘Polish colony’; […] ‘Mickies’ (Irish). Each possessed demarcated districts within which gangs adopted neighbourhood names and tags […]
2011, Barry Goldson, Youth in Crisis?: ‘Gangs’, Territoriality and Violence, page 90:
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(abbreviation, alt-of, slang) Short for Mickey Finn (“an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink deliberately doctored with a drug intended to quickly render the drinker unconscious”).
alt of Mickey Finn
- (historical, slang) A type of bombsight assisted by radar.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mickeys | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| Micky | alternative | lexicographic | |
| mickey | alternative | lexicographic |