Meanings
plural spotted dicks
- countableuncountableA steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit, usually currants; traditional in England.
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.
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
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Germandick“thick, viscous”
- Old Englishdāg“dough”
- Englishspotted dick
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”).
More words from Old English, German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 葡萄乾布丁 /葡萄干布丁
- 葡萄乾布丁 /葡萄干布丁 (pútáogān bùdīng)steamed suet pudding
Finnish spotted dick
- spotted dicksteamed suet pudding
Polish spotted dick
- spotted dicksteamed suet pudding
Russian варёный пу́динг с изю́мом, долма́тец
- варёный пу́динг с изю́мом (varjónyj púding s izjúmom)steamed suet pudding
- долма́тец (dolmátec)steamed suet pudding
- «пятни́стый Дик»steamed suet pudding
Cite this entry
spotted dick. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spotted%20dick
“spotted dick.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spotted%20dick. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spotted dick,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spotted%20dick.
Source: spotted dick on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.