Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- George Frederick,1881–1967, U.S. internist.
- Philip K.,1928–82, U.S. science-fiction writer.
- a male given name, form of Richard.
noun
- mainly US a slang word for detective
noun slang
- British a fellow or person
- clever dick British a person who is obnoxiously opinionated or self-satisfied; know-all
- a slang word for penis
“fellow, lad, man,” 1550s, rhyming nickname for Rick, short for Richard, one of the commonest English names, it has long been a synonym for “fellow,” and so most of the slang senses are probably very old, but naturally hard to find in the surviving records. The meaning “penis” is attested from 1891 in Farmer’s slang dictionary (possibly British army slang). Meaning “detective” is recorded from 1908, perhaps as a shortened variant of detective.
- American medical researcher who collaborated with his wife, Gladys Henry Dick (1881-1963), to isolate the bacterium that causes scarlet fever. They developed a serum for the disease in 1923.
see every tom, dick, and harry.