tidy

See also: Tidy

English

Etymology

From Middle English tidy, tydy, tidi (“timely, seasonal, opportune”), equivalent to tide (“time”) +‎ -y. Cognate with Dutch tijdig (“timely”), Middle Low German tīdich (“timely”), German zeitig (“seasonal, timely”), Danish tidig (“timely”), Swedish tidig (“timely”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtaɪdi/
• Rhymes: -aɪdi

Adjective

tidy (comparative tidier, superlative tidiest)

1. (obsolete) In good time; at the right time; timely; seasonable; opportune; favourable; fit; suitable.
   • Tusser

     if weather be fair and tidy

2. (obsolete) Brave; smart; skillful; fine; good.
3. Appropriate or suitable as regards occasion, circumstances, arrangement, or order.
4. Arranged neatly and in order.

   Keep Britain tidy.

5. Not messy; neat and controlled.
6. Satisfactory; comfortable.
7. (informal) Generous, considerable.

   The scheme made a tidy profit.

Synonyms

The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. Use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}} to add them to the appropriate sense(s).

• neat
• orderly
• presentable
• spick and span

Antonyms

• messy
• untidy

Translations

arranged neatly

• Armenian: կոկիկ (hy) (kokik)
• Catalan: endreçat
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 整齊 (zh), 整齐 (zh) (zhěngqí)

• Czech: uklizený
• Dutch: net (nl), proper (nl), rein (nl)
• German: sauber (de), ordentlich (de)
• Italian: ordinato (it) m
• Japanese: こざっぱりした (kozappari shita)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: پاک و ته‌میز‏‎

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ryddig

  Nynorsk: ryddig

• Persian: پاکیزه‏‎ (fa) (pâkize)
• Portuguese: limpo (pt), ordenado (pt), arrumado (pt)
• Russian: аккура́тный (ru) (akkurátnyj), опря́тный (ru) (oprjátnyj), чи́стый (ru) (čístyj)
• Scots: dink
• Scottish Gaelic: cunbhalach
• Spanish: ordenado (es)
• Welsh: taclus (cy)
• Yiddish: זויבער‏‎ (zoyber), ציכטיק‏‎ (tsikhtik)

Derived terms

• hair-tidy

Related terms

• tidily
• tidiness

Verb

tidy (third-person singular simple present tidies, present participle tidying, simple past and past participle tidied)

1. To make tidy; to neaten.

Translations

to make tidy

• Hungarian: takarít (hu)
• Persian: مرتب کردن‏‎ (fa)
• Polish: czysty (pl)

• Russian: убира́ть (ru) (ubirátʹ), приводи́ть в поря́док (privodítʹ v porjádok), (informal) наводи́ть чистоту (navodítʹ čistotu)
• Welsh: tacluso (cy)

Noun

tidy (plural tidies)

1. A tabletop container for pens and stationery.

   a desk tidy

2. A cover, often of tatting, drawn work, or other ornamental work, for the back of a chair, the arms of a sofa, etc.
3. (dated) A child's pinafore.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Wright to this entry?)

4. The wren.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Drayton to this entry?)

Interjection

tidy

1. (Wales) Expression of positive agreement, usually in reply to a question.

Usage notes

Often used by people from South Wales to end a sentence or as a reply to a question, meaning "Great" or "Fine", for example "I'm going to the shops for ten fags" may get the reply "Tidy."