as queer as Dick's hatband

English

Etymology

This is the earliest attested variant, and formerly the most common, of the phrase Dick's hatband.

Pronunciation

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Phrase

(deprecated template usage) as queer as Dick's hatband

1. (simile, colloquial, dated, possibly offensive) Very queer (in various senses).
   • 1742, James Ayres, Sancho at Court, Act III, line 44:

     A young Lady, the first or second Day of her Marriage, looks as queer as Dick's Hat-Band.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:strange

Usage notes

• Regarding possible offence, see notes at queer.

References

• “hatband, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2017.