dickey 1
/dik"ee/ , n. , pl. dickeys .
1. an article of clothing made to look like the front or collar of a shirt, blouse, vest, etc., worn as a separate piece under another garment, as a jacket or dress. Cf. vest (def. 2), vestee .
2. a detachable linen shirt collar.
3. a bib or pinafore worn by a child.
4. a small bird.
5. a donkey, esp. a male.
6. an outside seat on a carriage.
7. Brit. See rumble seat (def. 1).
Also, dicky, dickie .
[ 1745-55; generic use of Dicky, dim. of Dick, proper name ]
dickey 2
/dik"ee/ , adj. Chiefly Brit. Slang.
not working properly; faulty: I'm fed up with this dickey air conditioner.
[ 1805-15; orig. uncert. ]