different between dainty vs kickshaw

English

Etymology

From Middle English deynte, from Old French deintié, from Latin dignit?tem. Doublet of dignity.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?de?nti/
• Rhymes: -e?nti

Noun

dainty (plural dainties)

1. A delicacy (in taste).
   • 1791, William Cowper, The Odyssey of Homer
2. (obsolete) Esteem, honour.
3. (Canada, Prairies and northwestern Ontario) A fancy cookie, pastry, or square, typically homemade, served at a social event (usually plural).
4. (obsolete) An affectionate term of address.

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

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

dainty (comparative daintier, superlative daintiest)

1. (obsolete) Excellent; valuable, fine.
2. Elegant; delicately small and pretty.
3. Fastidious and fussy, especially when eating.
   • 1623, Francis Bacon, An Advertisement touching an Holy War

Synonyms

• neat
• petite

Derived terms

• daintily
• daintiness

Translations

References

• “dainty” in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2004.

English

Etymology

From Middle French quelque chose (“something”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?k.???/

Noun

kickshaw (plural kickshaws)

1. A dainty or delicacy.
   • 1820, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Oedipus Tyrannus; Or, Swellfoot The Tyrant: A Tragedy in Two Acts, page 39:

     Allow me now to recommend this dish— / A simple kickshaw by your Persian cook, / Such as is served at the great King’s second table.

   • 1923, Walter de la Mare, Seaton's Aunt

     The lunch […] consisted […] of […] lobster mayonnaise, cold game sausages, an immense veal and ham pie farced with eggs, truffles, and numberless delicious flavours; besides kickshaws, creams and sweetmeats.

2. A trinket or gewgaw.

Further reading

• “kickshaw”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.