tidyadj.n.adv.
/ˈtʌɪdi/, U.S. /ˈtaɪdi/ A. adj.† 1. † b. tidy cow n. Scottish Obsolete a cow giving milk.
a. Timely, seasonable, opportune; in season.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > [adjective]
timelyOE
tidefula1300
tidya1375
duea1387
timefula1400
seasonablec1412
convenient1415
opportunec1425
seasonedc1440
tempestivous1574
timed1592
ripe1595
well-timed1604
opportuneful1605
mature1608
advantageous1609
opportunous1609
punctual1611
tempestive1611
timeousa1626
time-serving1627
timed1656
tidive?17..
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1710 Til sche say tidi time hire prey for to take.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1339 Gret merþe..meliors þan made, for þe tidy tidinges.
c1475 Partenay 5722 Of nouel thinges..No-thing I fynd at no tydy stounde.
1594 R. Carew tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne iii. 125 Nor place serues fit, nor season tidie growes.
1660 F. Brooke tr. V. Le Blanc World Surveyed 270 Hearing of this tydie accident, he was cautious to appear.
1720 A. Ramsay Poems 349 King Eol grant a tydie Tirl.
ΚΠ
1493 Act. Dom. Conc. (1839) 300 Þe mylk of thre tithy ky.
1533 in Munim. Burgh Irvine (1890) I. 39 Ane tydy kow.
1670 in Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot. (1896) XXX. 20 Too tydie kay & four yeell [i.e. dry] kay.
1678 in Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot. (1896) XXX. 20 Two tyddie key and a two yeir old kow.
2. In good condition, or of good appearance; fair, well-favoured, comely, bonny; fat, plump, healthy. In quot. 1340-70, showy, gorgeous. Now dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > healthy
wholeeOE
isoundOE
i-sundfulc1000
ferec1175
soundc1175
fish-wholea1225
forthlyc1230
steadfasta1300
wella1300
safec1300
tidya1325
halec1330
quartc1330
well-faringc1330
well-tempered1340
well-disposeda1398
wealyc1400
furnished1473
mighty?a1475
quartful?c1475
good1527
wholesomea1533
crank1548
healthful1550
healthy1552
hearty1552
healthsome1563
well-affected?1563
disposed1575
as sound as a bell1576
firm1577
well-conditioned1580
sound1605
unvaletudinary1650
all right1652
valid1652
as sound as a (alsoany) roach1655
fair-like1663
hoddy1664
wanton1674
stout?1697
trig1704
well-hained1722
sprack1747
caller1754
sane1755
finely1763
bobbish1780
cleverly1784
right1787
smart1788
fine1791
eucratic1795
nobbling1825
as right as a trivet1835
first rate1841
in fine, good, high, etc., feather1844
gay1855
sprackish1882
game ball1905
abled1946
well-toned1952
a hundred per cent1960
oke1960
the world > animals > animal body > [adjective] > stout or strong
tidya1325
robust1666
stout1832
massive1888
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > [adjective]
faireOE
comelyOE
winlyOE
goodlyOE
hendya1250
hendc1275
quaintc1300
seemlyc1305
tidya1325
avenant1340
honestc1384
sightya1387
properc1390
well beseena1393
queema1400
speciousa1400
featousc1400
parisantc1400
rekenc1400
well-favoureda1438
wellc1450
spectable?a1475
delicatec1480
jollya1500
bonny?a1513
snog1513
viewlyc1536
goodlikec1550
sightly1555
sightful1565
beholdinga1586
eyesome?1587
decent1600
vage1604
prospicuous1605
eyely1614
fashionable1630
well-looking1638
softa1643
fineish1647
well-looked1660
of a good (also ugly, etc.) look1700
likely-looked1709
sonsy1720
smiling1725
aspectable1731
smirkya1758
likely-looking1771
respectable1776
magnificent-looking1790
producible1792
presentable1800
good-looking1804
nice-looking1807
bonnyish1855
spick1882
eyeable1887
aegyo2007
the world > animals > domestic animal > [adjective] > of livestock > healthy
tidya1325
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > [adjective] > of stock: in good condition
tidya1325
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > [adjective] > specifically of persons
faireOE
seemlya1225
featous1340
jolly?a1366
tretis?a1366
comelya1375
covenablea1375
well-beseenc1374
favourablea1398
farrandc1400
personable?1435
well-favoureda1438
covenantc1440
likelyc1450
trety?c1450
tret1488
decore?a1513
jimp?a1513
wally?a1513
smotter?1520
snout-fair1530
well-looking1613
comely-looking1648
personal1658
comely-looked1664
winsome1677
tidy1714
good-looking1715
well to be seen1809
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2105 .vii. eares wexen fette of coren On an busk, ranc and wel tidi.
1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 599 We..no tidi atir in templus araie.
1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. xiii. 187 Seedes þat been sowen and mowe suffre wyntres, Aren tydyour and tower.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid iii. iv. 23 Flockis and hirdis of oxin and of fee, Fat and tydye.
1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) f. 55v If weather be faire, and tydie thy graine, Make spedely carrige, for feare of a raine.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 ii. iv. 232 Thou horson little tydee Bartholemew borepigge.
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 669 When a Sow is very fat she hath alway but little milke, and therefore is not apte to make any good tidie pigs.
1714 J. Gay Shepherd's Week v. 76 Before my Eyes will trip the tidy Lass.
1805 R. Anderson Ballads in Cumberland Dial. 51 Bonny, teydey, blithe was she.
1808 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. A tydy bairn, a child that is plump and thriving.
1881 R. G. White Eng. Without & Within xvi. 387 Among them [the lower middle class] a tidy girl means a pretty girl, and particularly a girl with a good figure.
3. As an indefinite epithet of admiration or commendation.† a. Good, excellent, satisfactory, useful; of good character or ability; worthy, brave; able, skilful. (Also ironically.) Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [adjective]
goodOE
winlyOE
snella1000
winc1275
boonc1325
cleana1375
tidya1375
positivea1398
comelyc1400
kindc1400
kindly?a1425
well-formeda1425
trim?a1513
wally?a1513
bonnya1525
delicatea1533
goodlike1562
sappy1563
bein1567
rum1567
benedict1576
warrantable1581
true (also good, sure) as touch1590
goodlisomea1603
respectable1603
clever1738
amusing1753
plummy1787
bone1793
brickish1843
mooi1850
ryebuck1859
spandy1868
greatisha1871
healthy1878
popular1884
beefy1903
onkus1910
quies1919
cushty1929
high-powered1969
not shabby1975
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 5384 Al þat touched þer to a tidi erldome, to þe kowherd & his wif þe king ȝaf þat time.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 2496 Forto telle what tidde of þat tide werwolf.
1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. xxii. 441 Trauaileþ..for a tretour al-so sore As for a trewe tydy man.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 1035 Soudiours..Of the tidiest of Tessaile, tore men of strenght.
1567 T. Drant tr. Horace Pistles in tr. Horace Arte of Poetrie sig. Hiv A seruaunte at his masters becke Tydie, prompte, preste and fyne.
a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Coxcombe ii. i, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Nn3v/2 Thou art the tydiest wittall..I thinke above ground.
a1625 J. Fletcher Womans Prize iv. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Pppppv/2 What a hap had I, And what a tydie fortune, when my fate Flung me upon this Beare-whelp?
b. Now in lighter use: Fairly satisfactory, ‘pretty good’, ‘fair’ (in quality); decent, of a good sort; nice. (colloquial.)
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being satisfactory > [adjective]
wellOE
sufferablea1340
worthy1340
sufficient1489
paregala1500
competent1535
something like?1556
right1567
sweet1577
fairish1611
all right1652
fair1656
comfortable1658
decent1711
respectable1750
unrepulsive1787
decentisha1814
fair-to-middling1822
fine1828
christena1838
OK1839
tidy1844
not (or none) so dusty?1856
sweet1898
oke1928
okey-doke1934
okey-dokey1936
tickety-boo1939
cool1951
aight1993
1844 C. Dickens Let. 24 Aug. (1977) IV. 185 Which I thought for a Coast Guard man was rather a tidy question.
1851 H. Mayhew London Labour I. 133/1 Parsons and doctors are often ‘tidy customers’.
1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iii. i. 10 A tidy shot that, I flatter myself.
1899 E. Phillpotts Human Boy iii. 82 I hope he did [succeed], for he was a tidy chap, though queer.
c. Considerable (in amount or degree); ‘pretty big’. a tidy penny = ‘a pretty penny’ (pretty adj. 4). (colloquial.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > considerable in amount or degree
goodeOE
fairOE
goodlyc1275
largea1375
no littlea1413
substantial1413
unleast?1440
prettya1475
reasonablea1500
substantious1545
substantive1575
sensible1581
pretty and ——1596
goody1597
greatish1611
considerable1651
sonsy1721
respectable1736
smart1750
quite a little ——1763
gey1796
smartish1799
canny1805
serious1810
right smart1825
dunnamuch1831
snug1833
tidy1839
bonnyish1855
largish1872
a nice little ——1891
significant1898
healthy1901
beaucoup1917
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xxxii. 307 You came along at a tidy pace.
1851 H. Mayhew London Labour I. 352/1 If it is just after quarter-day, she generally gets a tidy tip.
1854 Househ. Words IX. 69/1 I have a tidy penny in the funds.
1881 R. D. Blackmore Christowell (1882) ii A horse who had been to Exeter and back with a tidy load.
1893 I. Burton Life R. F. Burton II. 252 A very large garden..wherein one could take a very tidy walk.
1903 M. G. Gerard Leaves from Diaries ix. 324 They do swear a tidy bit.
4. (The chief current use.)
a. Of persons: Orderly in habits, or in personal appearance; disposed to keep things (or one's person or dress) neat and in order.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > [adjective] > clean and tidy
smug1598
polite1602
tidy1706
tosh1776
tidy-looking1825
speck and span1840
spick and span1846
toshy1856
spick1882
the world > relative properties > order > [adjective] > tidy > disposed to keep things tidy
tidy1706
tidy-minded1900
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Tidy, handy, neat, clean, as A tidy Servant.
a1800 S. Pegge Suppl. Grose's Provinc. Gloss. (1814) Tidy, neat. North.
1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian viii, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. III. 194 If thou knowest of any tidy lass like thysell, that wanted a place, and could bring a good character.
1831 D. E. Williams Life Sir T. Lawrence II. 72 [The child] folds up her things like a tidy lady's maid.
1849 E. Bulwer-Lytton Caxtons I. i. iii. 17 My dear mother was the tidiest woman in the world.
b. Of things, esp. of a house, room, receptacle, etc.: Neatly arranged; with nothing in disorder or out of place; orderly, neat, trim.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > [adjective] > tidy
queemc1450
trig1513
trimc1521
neat1594
polite1602
terse1602
unlittered1612
ship-shape1644
snod1717
tight1720
redd1753
(as) neat (also clean) as a (new) pin1769
mack1825
tidy1828
slick1833
ship-shapely1843
trimly1858
taut1870
1828 N. Webster Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. (at cited word) The children are tidy; their dress is tidy... The apartments are well furnished and tidy.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge iv. 254 There was not a neater, more scrupulously tidy, or more punctiliously ordered house, in Clerkenwell.
1859 Habits Good Society viii. 271 Some underbred ladies..put tidy their work-boxes, making you feel that you are secondary.
1880 R. Jefferies Round about Great Estate 201 He objected to cut and trim them [shrubs, etc.]. ‘For’, said he, ‘God made nothing tidy’.
B. n.
1. A name for various articles intended to keep persons or things tidy or neat.
a. A pinafore or overall. dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > that covers or protects other clothing > apron, pinafore, or overall
brat1570
pinner1674
tidya1825
tire1846
a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) Tidy, a light outer covering worn by children, to keep their clothes from dirt and grease.
b. An ornamental loose covering for the back of a chair or the like, usually of fancy work; an antimacassar.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > covers or hangings > [noun] > cover for furniture > for seat
banker?c1350
dosser1379
doss1475
dorsea1524
dossal1658
tidy1850
antimacassar1852
chair-back1858
sofa-back1878
1850 Knickerb. Mag. XXXVI. 255 in R. H. Thornton Amer. Gloss. (1912) One cane-seated rocking-chair, the back of which is covered with an unapproachable netting of spotless white, called a ‘tidy’.
1861 J. Pycroft Agony Point (1862) 126 After a few magic passes—the placing of a screen, the arrangement of a tidy or the folds of a curtain,..—a room..becomes..instinct with life, and grace, and comfort.
1882 L. C. Lillie Prudence 61 Is that a tidy? Yes... They call them antimacassars and sofa-backs here.
c. A bag or other receptacle in which to keep scraps, odds and ends, etc.; a work-bag; a toilet-tidy.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > [noun] > for odds and ends
tidy1828
1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) Tidy, a work bag, &c.
1863 B. Jerrold Signals of Distress 207 It was in the days when..every scrap of cotton or linen found its way into the ‘tidy’.
2. An act of making tidy; a period of time devoted to tidying. Frequently with -up.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > [noun] > putting in order > putting in order or making tidy > an act of
redd1846
siding1848
tidy1909
1909 E. Nesbit Daphne in Fitzroy St. ix. 122 The dreadful neatness that follows a ‘good tidy-up’.
1915 R. Kipling Diversity of Creatures (1917) 428 We'll pull up the blinds and we'll have a general tidy.
1949 N. Streatfeild Painted Garden xiii. 140 Rachel was going on to tell Jane to give her hair a tidy.
1970 C. Whitman Death out of Focus ix. 141 I bustled around..giving my flat a rough tidy-up.
1971 H. Wilson Labour Govt. xxxvi. 756 I went for a quick wash and tidy-up.
1980 ‘T. Hinde’ Daymare i. vi. 53 [She] is coming to give his house its Saturday morning tidy.
C. adv.
Tidily; pretty well; nicely, finely; also ironical. dialect or nonstandard.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [adverb] > and pleasing
comelyOE
winlyc1000
comelilyc1400
trimly?a1513
trima1547
sweetly1594
cleverly1697
nicely1714
tidy1824
sweet1846
wally1847
1824 in Spirit of Public Jrnls. (1825) 347 They've served me pretty tidy going along,..punching at me with their shilaleaghs as they would at a woolsack.
1851 H. Mayhew London Labour I. 355/1 Them as could patter tidy did the best.
1905 Eng. Dial. Dict. VI. 139/1 That there oak's coming out quite tidy.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a.
tidy-mindedness n.
ΚΠ
1951 Ess. & Stud. 4 21 Too much tidy-mindedness and love of classification.
1975 J. P. Morgan House of Lords & Labour Govt. vi. 163 Even if administrative tidy-mindedness..was the motive behind the Seats Bill.., its consequences would still transcend any administrative convenience.
b.
tidy-looking adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > [adjective] > clean and tidy
smug1598
polite1602
tidy1706
tosh1776
tidy-looking1825
speck and span1840
spick and span1846
toshy1856
spick1882
1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan I. 19 He was a small, meagre,..tidy-looking somebody.
tidy-minded adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > [adjective] > tidy > disposed to keep things tidy
tidy1706
tidy-minded1900
1900 J. K. Jerome Three Men on Bummel vii. 156 Fit for a tidy-minded lover of German nature.
tidy-sized adj. In sense A. 3.
ΚΠ
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. xvi. [Eumaeus] 599 I want to see everyone..having a comfortable tidysized income.
1945 W. de la Mare Scarecrow 128 ‘Lor bless me,’ said Alice. ‘The questions he asks!’.. ‘And that's a tidy-sized one too!’ said Alice, smiling at him again.
C2.
tidy-betty n. an ash-pan (dialect).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > receptacle for refuse
vat1534
voider1613
waste-paper box1836
dustbin1847
kid1847
waste-basket1850
scrap-box1858
waste-paper basket1859
garbage can1869
can1872
hell1872
scrap basket1872
sink tidy1881
tidy-betty1884
kitchen tidy1885
midden1890
wagger1903
W.P.B.1903
waste-bin1915
Sanibin1921
binette1922
G.I. can1929
trash can1929
trashbag1934
litter-bin1947
shitcan1948
pedal bin1951
trash-bin1955
litter-basket1958
midgie1965
bin1972
swing bin1972
tidy bin1972
dump bin1978
wheelie bin1984
binbag1986
1884 Internat. Health Exhib. Official Catal. 71/2 Front Damper acting as a ‘Tidy Betty’ with Cinder-sifter.
1900 Leeds Mercury 9 May He struck her on the head with a ‘tidy-betty’, and then kicked her with his clogs.
tidy bin n. a bin into which things may be discarded or tidied away, a waste-bin.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > receptacle for refuse
vat1534
voider1613
waste-paper box1836
dustbin1847
kid1847
waste-basket1850
scrap-box1858
waste-paper basket1859
garbage can1869
can1872
hell1872
scrap basket1872
sink tidy1881
tidy-betty1884
kitchen tidy1885
midden1890
wagger1903
W.P.B.1903
waste-bin1915
Sanibin1921
binette1922
G.I. can1929
trash can1929
trashbag1934
litter-bin1947
shitcan1948
pedal bin1951
trash-bin1955
litter-basket1958
midgie1965
bin1972
swing bin1972
tidy bin1972
dump bin1978
wheelie bin1984
binbag1986
1972 House & Garden Dec. 84/3 Colourful bathroom accessories, including shelf units, tidy bins, mirrors.
1978 People's Friend 13 May 3/3 Lifting some toffee papers and preparing to transfer them to the tidy bin, she spotted the torn photograph.
Derivatives
ˈtidyism n. a principle or practice of extreme tidiness.Apparently an isolated use.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > [noun] > order or tidiness > extreme practice or principle
tidyism1856
1856 C. M. Yonge Daisy Chain i. ix His funny little old bachelor tidyisms.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
tidyv.
Chiefly colloquial.
a. transitive. To make tidy or orderly; to put in order; to arrange neatly; reflexive to put one's hair, dress, etc. in order; to make oneself neat. Often with up.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > put in (proper) order [verb (transitive)] > put in order or tidy
redeOE
slick1340
redda1500
prepare1585
spruce1594
rid1599
snod1608
to clear up1762
snug1787
ted1811
tidy1821
side1825
fix1832
to pick up1853
mense1859
straighten1867
square1909
neaten1942
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > remove or displace [verb (transitive)] > clear out or away > for the sake of tidiness
tidy1868
1821 M. R. Mitford in A. G. L'Estrange Life M. R. Mitford (1870) II. 127 I mean to..have it whitened and tidied up this summer.
1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre I. iv. 47 Bessie..employed me as a sort of under nursery-maid, to tidy the room, dust the chairs, &c.
1868 F. E. Paget Lucretia 106 When the cook went up stairs, after tea, to tidy herself.
1897 M. Kingsley Trav. W. Afr. 73 My notes for a day will contain facts relating to the kraw-kraw, price of onions,..genealogies,..law cases,..&c., &c. And the undertaking of tidying these things up is no small one.
1898 G. B. Shaw Candida in Plays Pleasant & Unpleasant 131 The large table has been cleared and tidied.
b. To stow away or clear up for the sake of tidiness.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > supply > storage > store [verb (transitive)]
again-layOE
to put upc1330
to lay up?a1366
bestow1393
to set up1421
reserve1480
powder1530
store1552
uplay1591
garnera1616
storea1616
revestry1624
reposit1630
barrel1631
magazine1643
stock1700
to salt down1849
reservoir1858
tidy1867
larder1904
1867 [see tidying n. and adj. at Derivatives].
1884 Nonconformist 1 May It was left on the hall table..and had been ‘tidied up’ by one of those..housemaids who are the bane of every busy man.
1906 Westm. Gaz. 5 July 2/1 If anything is broken or tidied away beyond recall.
Derivatives
ˈtidying n. and adj. also with -up.
ΚΠ
1867 H. Latham Black & White 90 After such a war..there is no small amount of sweeping up, and tidying away,..to be done.
1884 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 734/2 Comte de Rivaulx! echoed Madame, pausing in her tidying.
1899 Westm. Gaz. 7 Jan. 3/2 Lovers of nature..view with horror the onslaughts of these tidying gentlemen.
1959 N. Marsh False Scent (1960) iv. 102 When they arrived..the tidying-up process had considerably advanced.
1964 M. McLuhan Understanding Media ii. xx. 197 This immense tidying-up of our inner lives..has had its obvious parallels in our attempts to rearrange our homes and gardens.
1975 S. Brett Cast vi. 47 He'd..even done a token tidying-up of his room.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online March 2020).
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adj.n.adv.a1325v.1821