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pikey

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pikey¹

  • /ˈpaɪ.ki/

Rhymes with -aɪki

Where it comes from

From pike + -y.

noun pikeys

  1. informal A pike (type of fish). The first time he comes to the surface of the water he gasps for breath, his huge mouth gapes, he gives his head a shake and out tumbles the bait, hooks and all, not one of them having had hold, and away goes pikey quite satisfied with his entertainment pro tem., and wondering what that ugly two-leg

adjective more pikey · most pikey

  1. Associated with or filled with pike (fish). Like its schoolboy master, the rod built from the cane then chosen has since had many a narrow escape "by flood and fell," and not a few damaged 'tips,' aye, and 'joints' too; but its main timbers are as sound as ever, and I trust may yet be destined to wave death over many a pikey pool and glitteri

pikey²

  • /ˈpaɪ.ki/

Rhymes with -aɪki

Where it comes from

Possibly from obsolete pike (“depart or travel”), or possibly from turnpike. The verb is derived from the stereotype that the Romani people or other travellers are thieves.

noun pikeys

  1. Ireland, UK, ethnic, offensive, slur An itinerant person, especially one of Romani or Irish Traveller heritage. “They must be the pikeys who live up there. They're a nasty bunch. Shouldn't get mixed up with them.” “Well, we told them to fuck off, they didn't seem that nasty to me! What are pikeys anyway?” “Well, they're like vagabonds.”
  2. Ireland, UK, derogatory, offensive A working-class (often underclass) person with negative qualities stereotypically ascribed to itinerant people, including rowdiness, theft and poor hygiene. But if there's one thing he hates more than pikeys, it's posh people.

adjective more pikey · most pikey

  1. Ireland, UK, derogatory, slang Associated with pikeys. Blimey. The least pikey place on the planet.

verb pikeys · pikeying · pikeyed

  1. Ireland, UK, derogatory, slang To steal. >It's getting hold of a copy that isn't pikeyed that I'm having >difficulty with :-(

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MLA

"pikey." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pikey. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

pikey. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pikey

Chicago

"pikey." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pikey.

BibTeX
@misc{pikey_2026,
  title = {pikey},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pikey},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}