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/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪdi

Adjective

tidy (comparative tidier, superlative tidiest)

1. Arranged neatly and in order.

   Keep Britain tidy.

2. Not messy; neat and controlled.
3. (colloquial) Satisfactory; comfortable.
4. (colloquial) Generous, considerable.

   The scheme made a tidy profit.

5. (obsolete) In good time; at the right time; timely; seasonable; opportune; favourable; fit; suitable.
   • (Can we date this quote by Tusser and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     if weather be fair and tidy

6. (obsolete) Brave; smart; skillful; fine; good.
7. Appropriate or suitable as regards occasion, circumstances, arrangement, or order.

Synonyms

• (arranged neatly): neat, orderly, presentable, spick and span; see also Thesaurus:orderly or Thesaurus:clean
• (at the right time): opportune, seasonable; see also Thesaurus:timely
• (appropriate or suitable): apt, fit; see also Thesaurus:suitable

Antonyms

• (not messy): messy, untidy

Derived terms

• hair-tidy

Related terms

• tidily
• tidiness

Translations

arranged neatly

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

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

• Czech: uklizený
• Danish: ordentlig, opryddet
• Dutch: net (nl), proper (nl), rein (nl)
• Finnish: siisti (fi)
• French: ordonné (fr)
• German: sauber (de), ordentlich (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: κόσμιος (kósmios)

• Italian: ordinato (it) m
• Japanese: こざっぱりした (kozappari shita)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: پاک و تەمیز‎ (ku) (pak û temîz)

• Latin: mundus
• Malagasy: milamina (mg)
• Maori: nahanaha
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ryddig (no)

  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
• Slovak: úhľadný, usporiadaný, upravený
• Spanish: ordenado (es), pulcro (es) m, prolijo (es) m
• Thai: เรียบร้อย (th) (rîiap-rɔ́ɔi)
• Welsh: taclus (cy)
• Yiddish: זויבער‎ (zoyber), ציכטיק‎ (tsikhtik)

Verb

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

1. To make tidy; to neaten.

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Translations

to make tidy

• Finnish: siistiä (fi)
• Galician: limpar (gl), ordenar (gl)
• Hungarian: takarít (hu)
• Kazakh: реттеу (rettew)
• Malagasy: mandamina (mg)
• Maori: rau(w)iri (of a garden with weeds), whakapaipai, whakaraupapa (systematise), tātai

• Persian: مرتب کردن‎ (fa)
• Polish: czysty (pl)
• Russian: убира́ть (ru) (ubirátʹ), приводи́ть в поря́док (privodítʹ v porjádok), (informal) наводи́ть чистоту (navodítʹ čistotu)
• Slovak: upraviť
• Spanish: ordenar (es)
• 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?)

Translations

tabletop container for pens and stationery

• Irish: coimeádán m, gabhdán m

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."