dickens

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the devil, used euphemistically in exclamations to express surprise, annoyance, or emphasis

   Where the dickens did I leave the house keys?

2. 2
   noun

   mischief, trouble, or a noisy disturbance, especially in set expressions

   The children raised the dickens when the lights went out.

Recorded in the late sixteenth century as a mild substitute for devil, apparently using Dicken, a diminutive of the personal name Dick. The euphemism predates the novelist Charles Dickens and is not derived from his surname. Phrases such as what the dickens and raise the dickens preserve it.

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