Meanings
plural Dick Whittingtons
- UKSomebody who moves to London in the hope of better prospects.
Britain's twenty-somethings have become iPod-carrying Dick Whittingtons, drawn to London by the prospect of large salaries and hopes of a vibrant social life.
2009, What's Up, Britain?, page 421 more example
"Fine! Ye couldn't beat it. And you'd go off to London, or some such place—" "I should like it to be London." "Oh, of course; there's plenty of Dick Whittingtons left yet. But there's more petrol than pearls about the London pavement now. […]
1911, The Sunday at Home, page 194
Origin
After Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423), English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London and financed various public projects. He is remembered in a pantomime called Dick Whittington and His Cat, in which he sets out for London to make his fortune.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Dick Whittington. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dick%20Whittington
“Dick Whittington.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dick%20Whittington. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Dick Whittington,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dick%20Whittington.
Source: Dick Whittington on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.