biddy en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈbɪdi/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Derived from Biddy, diminutive form of Bridget. It became a generic name for an Irish maid (US), and then for an old woman.
Meanings
-
(derogatory) A woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody.
That Mich. drag Loretta sent me about 10 pictures of her so I wouldn't think her a "decrepit old lady." But too bad—she looked like someone's bitty aunt.
1974 January 18, Lou Sullivan, Diary:After working a 65 hour week, men would spend their whole paycheck in saloons, drink the whole weekend, and ignore the needs of their families. The overwhelming participation of women in the [temperance] movement was prompted by motives of self preservation […] It is no accident that male historians have chosen to present these women as crazed biddies in an attempt to deny the real reason for their concern.
1978 December 23, Michael Bronski, “Notes and Thoughts by One Gay Man on Pornography and Censorship”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 22, page 11:
- (uncommon) An attractive girl.
- (archaic, colloquial) An Irish maidservant.
- (broadly, derogatory) An Irishwoman.
-
A name used in calling a hen or chicken, often as "biddy-biddy-biddy".
"Well, we'll see about it by and by," said Farmer Brown's boy. "There's the breakfast bell, and I haven't fed the biddies yet."
1915, Thornton W. Burgess, chapter XI, in The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel, Boston: Little, Brown, and Company:Ay, biddy, come with me.
c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, act 3, scene 4, line 115:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| biddies | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (19)
hu pipi (an attractive little girl) · es dama chismosa (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody) · fr petit (a name used in calling a hen or chicken) · ru мила́шка (an attractive little girl) · fr rombière (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody) · es cotilla (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody) · hu nyanya (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody) · es vieja chismosa (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody) · hu pipi (a name used in calling a hen or chicken) · ru цы́па (a name used in calling a hen or chicken) · ro babă (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody) · de alte Schachtel (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody) · es cotillera (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody) · de alte Klatschtante (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody) · ru цы́почка (an attractive little girl) · es chismosa (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody) · ru ста́рая спле́тница (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody) · cs ježibaba (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody) · sv skvallerkärring (a woman, especially an old woman; especially one regarded as fussy or mean or a gossipy busybody)