What it means
Dicky means something’s a bit off, dodgy, or not working quite right. You can have a dicky knee, a dicky stomach, a dicky boiler, or Wi-Fi that’s gone all wobbly. It’s very British, pretty mild, and handy when you want to say something’s not right without going full meltdown.
Usage examples
"Car’s gone dicky again, and now my stomach’s joining in. I’m staying in with a brew and toast, cheers, see you tomorrow."
"My knee has been a bit dicky since the match, so I am taking the lift instead of the stairs all week."
"The boiler’s gone dicky again, so if anyone needs me, I’ll be wrapped in three hoodies pretending that’s central heating."
"Had a dicky tummy all morning after that service station sandwich, so I’m not trusting a fart or a life choice today."
"The laptop's gone a bit dicky, so if my email looks cursed, blame that and not me."
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Where it comes from
Possibly from the name Dick or from older slang for shaky and unreliable, dicky means something is not quite right and likely to pack in. A dicky knee, a dicky ticker, a dicky internet connection, all on the wobble and not to be trusted. Gentle British understatement for things quietly failing.
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