Posted with kind permission of Stanley on the OGFB forum.
DICKY OR DICKER DERIVATION
There’s an old saying, ‘up dicky meadow’ meaning in trouble and a less used one ‘in dicky cormer’ meaning the same thing.
Found this quote:
‘Added to which if the fire is out of control and out of reach of conventional fire engines then you are up Dickie's meadow and all the quad bikes in the world ain't going to extinguish it. Most fires of all kind are well out of control before the emergency services are called anyhow, nobody plans to have a chip pan fire at teatime and rings the fire and ambulance service at three 'o' clock so they can be there early’
http://www.southportforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=757045
OE ‘dic’ = dyke or ditch. EPNSoc. Placename elements.
ME ‘dyker’ is a corruption of Latin Decuria=ten. Sometimes thought to relate to a rent of a dicker of iron. [Ekwall]
Dicker. [As a measure]Dicker
Latin, dakrum; diker, dyker; dacre; L dacrum, daker;, dakir; dakyr (Yorks Mem 1) Latin Dacra, dykur; dykyr; dycer; dikkar (OED), dykker; 6-8 decker; 6-9 dicker; 7 dacker; 7, 9
dicar; 8 dakker (OED) [ME forms akin to MLG decker; all fr L decuria, all from Latin q division or parcel of ten, fr decem, ten].
A m-q for a variety of goods: hides, razors, etc., 10; horseshoes, 10 pairs; gloves, 10 pairs; and necklaces, 10 bundles, each bundle containing 10 necklaces. –c.1243 Select cases3.lxxxvi; v j lesta correi, ij. dakeres minus. c1253 Hall 11: Le daker de gaunz est x peyre. Le dakir de fers de chival est –de xx fers. c1272 Ibid 10: Last vero coriorum ex viginti dikeres; et quodlibet diker constat ex decem coriis .... Item diker cirothecarun ex decem paribus cirothecarum. 1276 Gras 1.227: ii dakers des quirs; 1290 Fleta 119: Item lastus coreorum consistit ex x. dacris, et quodlibet dakrum ex x. coreis Dacrum vero cirotecarum ex x. paribus. Dacrum vero ferrorum equorum ex xx. ferris. c1300 Brit Mus. 13:29. Daker cerothecarum ex decem paribus. c1300 Brit. Mus. 1 148. Et quodlibet dyker ex x coreis 1304 Gras 1 170: Pro iiii dacris coriorum. 1305. Ibid 304. Pro i lasto i dacro coriorum. 1321 Ibid 248. 1 lasta v dacre. 1323. ibid 209: De Quolibet lasto coreorum siccorum unde xx dacres faciunt lastum. et x corea faciunt I dacrum. 1324 Ibid 251: i lastam. et i dacram. et ix coria corioum. C 1350 ibid 179: De x et di. dakeris coreoum- 1381 trans in Cal. Close 13.440 29 dakers of oxhides and cowhides. c1400 Gras 1.214: De qualibet dycer corei tannati. 1439 Southampton 2.24: Pro 1 dykur de hud'. 1443 Brokage 11.57: 11 dyker' coriis bovinis; ibid 170: Cum v dykyr' et ix coriis bovinis. c1461 Hall 17: And x hydes make a dyker. c1475 Gras 1.192: Of a daker calf' skynnes tanned. 1507 Ibid 702: Rede hydes containing x hydes to the decker. 1509 Ibid 565: vii dyker rasours. 1545 Rates 1.35: Redde hides the dekar conteynynge ten skynnes.. Rasures the deaker. 1547 trans in Cal. Pat. 19.399: To export 300 "dykkers" of tanned leather and calf skins. 1548 Trans in Cal. Pat. 19.401: Licence to Edward Vaughan ... to export 200 Dyceres . of leather or tanned leather hides or backs. c1590 Hall 23: Every dicker consisteth 10 skynns. 1590 Rates 2.30: Rasors the dicker containing tenne. 1597 Halyburton cxiv: The daker of Selche skinis contenand ten. 1597 Skene 1. sv serplaith: Ten hides makis ane daiker, and twentie daiker makis ane last. 1615 Collect. Stat. 465: And everie dicker consisteth of ten skins. 1616 Hopton 164: There is also ... Hides, Dickers, and Lasts. 1661 Acts Scotland 7.252: Hides of all sorts ilk three dacker.... Halfe lang skins ilk ten daker. 1664 Spelman 351: Last corioum constat, ex 20. dakirs, & quodlibet dakir ex 10 coriis. 1678 Du Cange sv dacre: Vel Dacrum, consistit ex 10. coriis. 1708 Chamberlayne 205: Of Hides, 10 are a Dicker; 20 Dickers
a Last ... of Gloves, 10 Pair a Dicker. 1717 Dict. Rus. sv: Dicker of Leather, is ten Hides or Skins. . of Gloves, ten Pair; of Necklaces ten Bundles, each Bundle containing ten Necklaces. 1784 Ency. meth. 139: Le last de petites peaux, est de 10 deckers, ou 200 dites.... Le decker de gands, 10 paires, ou 20 dites. 1805 Macpherson 1.471: 10 hides = 1 dacre, 20 dacres ... 1 last.... 10 pairs of gloves...1 dacre.... 20 horse-shoes ... 1 dacre. 1868 Eng. Cyclo. 826: The dicar, or dicker, always 10. 1874 Hazlitt 424: Dicker.---A quantity of iron amounting to ten bars. 1883 Simmonds sv: Dicker, a commercial term for ten of some things. ..as ten skins make a dicker of hides. 1956 Economist 61: 1 dicker = 10 skins. 1 last = 20 dickers.
[from ‘A dictionary of weights and measures of the British Isles’ Ronald E Zupko.]
I think 'dicke' is the modern German for thick.
[img]http://www.briercliffesociety.co.uk/media/20071211105255_9_1_rs[1].jpg[/img]