fancier








noun

  1. a person having a liking for or interest in something; enthusiast: a fancier of sports cars.
  2. a person who breeds animals, plants, etc., especially in order to improve the strain: a horse fancier.

noun, plural fan·cies.

  1. imagination or fantasy, especially as exercised in a capricious manner.
  2. the artistic ability of creating unreal or whimsical imagery, decorative detail, etc., as in poetry or drawing.
  3. a mental image or conception: He had happy fancies of being a famous actor.
  4. an idea or opinion with little foundation; illusion: Her belief that she can sing is a mere fancy.
  5. a caprice; whim; vagary: It was his fancy to fly to Paris occasionally for dinner.
  6. capricious preference; inclination; a liking: to take a fancy to walking barefoot in the streets.
  7. critical judgment; taste.
  8. the breeding of animals to develop points of beauty or excellence.
  9. love.
  10. the fancy, Archaic. people deeply interested in a sport, art, etc.

adjective, fan·ci·er, fan·ci·est.

  1. made, designed, grown, adapted, etc., to please the taste or fancy; of superfine quality or exceptional appeal: fancy goods; fancy fruits.
  2. ornamental; decorative; not plain: a cake with a fancy icing.
  3. depending on imagination or caprice; whimsical; irregular: a fancy conception of time.
  4. bred to develop points of beauty or excellence, as an animal.
  5. much too costly; exorbitant or extravagant: a consultant who charges fancy fees.

verb (used with object), fan·cied, fan·cy·ing.

  1. to form a conception of; picture to oneself: Fancy living with that egotist all your life!
  2. to believe without being absolutely sure or certain: I fancy you are my new neighbor.
  3. to take a liking to; like.
  4. to breed to develop a special type of animal.

interjection

  1. (used as an exclamation of mild surprise): They invited you, too? Fancy!

Verb Phrases

  1. fancy up, to make superficially showy by way of improvement: an old car fancied up with a bright new paint job.

noun

  1. a person with a special interest in something
  2. a person who breeds plants or animals, often as a pastimea bird fancier

adjective -cier or -ciest

  1. not plain; ornamented or decorativea fancy cake; fancy clothes
  2. requiring skill to perform; intricatea fancy dance routine
  3. arising in the imagination; capricious or illusory
  4. (often used ironically) superior in quality or impressivea fancy course in business administration
  5. higher than expectedfancy prices
  6. (of a domestic animal) bred for particular qualities

noun plural -cies

  1. a sudden capricious idea; whim
  2. a sudden or irrational liking for a person or thing
  3. the power to conceive and represent decorative and novel imagery, esp in poetry. Fancy was held by Coleridge to be more casual and superficial than imaginationSee imagination (def. 4)
  4. an idea or thing produced by this
  5. a mental image
  6. taste or judgment, as in art of dress
  7. Also called: fantasy, fantasia music a composition for solo lute, keyboard, etc, current during the 16th and 17th centuries
  8. the fancy archaic those who follow a particular sport, esp prize fighting

verb -cies, -cying or -cied (tr)

  1. to picture in the imagination
  2. to suppose; imagineI fancy it will rain
  3. (often used with a negative) to likeI don’t fancy your chances!
  4. (reflexive) to have a high or ill-founded opinion of oneselfhe fancied himself as a doctor
  5. informal to have a wish for; desireshe fancied some chocolate
  6. British informal to be physically attracted to (another person)
  7. to breed (animals) for particular characteristics

interjection

  1. Also: fancy that! an exclamation of surprise or disbelief
n.

mid-15c., contraction of fantasy, it took the older and longer word’s sense of “inclination, whim, desire.” Meaning “fans of an amusement or sport, collectively” is attested by 1735, especially (though not originally) of the prize ring. The adjective is recorded from mid-18c.

v.

“take a liking to,” 1540s, a contraction of fantasien “to fantasize (about),” from fantasy (n.). Meaning “to imagine” is from 1550s. Related: Fancied; fancies; fancying. Colloquial use in fancy that, etc. is recorded by 1813.

see flight of fancy; footloose and fancy-free; take a fancy to; tickle one’s fancy;.

51 queries 0.380