spotted dick

English

Etymology

Spotted refers to the dried fruits (that resemble spots). Dick is a dialectal term for "pudding". It may be related to dough, duff (meaning "dough" or "pudding") and Old English dāg (“dough”). Alternatively, it may be a corruption/contraction of the last syllable of pudding, or from German dick (“thick, viscous”).

Noun

spotted dick (countable and uncountable, plural spotted dicks)

  1. A steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit, usually currants; traditional in England.
    • 1996, Amy Myers, chapter 4, in Murder in the Motor Stable (An Auguste Didier whodunnit; 9), Long Preston, North Yorkshire: Magna Large Print Books, published 1997, →ISBN, page 131:
      These English aristos will eat spotted dick in August and demand strawberries in January. Why not give them what they want? Take their shekels, my son, praising Allah, is my philosophy.

Translations

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