tyke

plural tykes · alternative tike

1. dialectalA mongrel dog.

   1 more example

   It was the day of warlocks and apparitions, now happily driven out by the zeal of the General Assembly. Witches pursued their wanchancy calling, bairns were spirited away, young lassies selled their souls to the Evil One, and the Accuser of the Brethren, in the shape of a black tyke, was seen about cottage doors in the gloaming.

   1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide

   Synonyms: mongrel, mutt

2. colloquialA small child, especially a cheeky or mischievous one.

   Manipulative little tyke I was.

   1983, Bill Oddie, Gone Birding, London: Methuen, page 146

   1. CanadacolloquialDesignating an initiation level of sports competition for young children.
3. UKdatedAn uncultured, crude and unrefined or uncouth ill-bred person.

   Why, the inquiry thing, the yellow-dog thing—you wouldn’t think a mangy, native tyke would be allowed to trip up people in the verandah of a magistrate’s court, would you?

   1900, Joseph Conrad, chapter 5, in Lord Jim

4. UKinformalA person from Yorkshire; a Yorkshireman or Yorkshirewoman.

1. A dialect, also known as Yorkshire, spoken in the county of Yorkshire.

plural Tykes

1. UKinformala Yorkshireman or Yorkshirewoman; a Yorkshire person
2. slangball gamessomeone connected with Barnsley Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.