en.wiktionary.org

fancy - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Middle English fansy, fantsy, a contraction of fantasy, fantasye, fantasie, from Old French fantasie, from Medieval Latin fantasia, from Late Latin phantasia (“an idea, notion, fancy, phantasm”), from Ancient Greek φαντασία (phantasía), from φαντάζω (phantázō, “to render visible”),[1] from φαντός (phantós, “visible”), from φαίνω (phaínō, “to make visible”); from the same root as φάος (pháos, “light”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂nyéti, from the root *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”). Doublet of fantasia, fantasy, phantasia, and phantasy.

fancy (plural fancies)

  1. The imagination.

    • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 100-103:

      […] But know that in the soul / Are many lesser faculties, that serve / Reason as chief; among these Fancy next / Her office holds […]

    • 1871, Charles Kingsley, “The High Woods”, in At Last: A Christmas in the West Indies. […], volume I, London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 232:

      [I]n ten minutes more the sun was up, and blazing so fiercely, that we were glad to cool ourselves in fancy, by talking over salmon-fishings in Scotland and New Brunswick, and wadings in icy streams beneath the black pine-woods.

    • 1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 221:

      For a time she could not soothe nor convince him that it was fancy.

  2. An image or representation of anything formed in the mind.
    Synonyms: conception, thought, idea
  3. An opinion or notion formed without much reflection.
    Synonym: impression

    • 1650, John Bulwer, Anthropometamorphosis: Man Transform’d‎[1], 2nd edition, London, published 1653, Epistle Dedicatory, pp. 2-3:

      When you have well viewed the Scenes and Devillish shapes of this Practicall Metamorphosis, and scan’d them in your serious thoughts, you will wonder at their audacious phant’sies, who seeme to hold Specificall deformities, or that any part can seeme unhandsome in their Eyes, which hath appeared good and beautifull unto their Maker […]

  4. A whim.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:whim

    I had a fancy to learn to play the flute.

  5. Love or amorous attachment.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:predilection

    • 1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 36:

      And they’ve taken a fancy to me, Aunt said. Kitto and the others. That means they like me.

    He took a fancy to her.

  6. The object of inclination or liking.
  7. Any sport or hobby pursued by a group.
    Synonyms: hobby; see also Thesaurus:hobby

    Trainspotting is the fancy of a special lot.

    the cat fancy

  8. The enthusiasts of such a pursuit.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:fan

    He fell out of favor with the boxing fancy after the incident.

    • 1830 September, Thomas De Quincey, “Review of Life of Richard Bentley, D.D. by J.H. Monk, D.D.”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine‎[2], volume 28, number 171, p. 446, footnote:

      […] at a great book sale in London, which had congregated all the Fancy, on a copy occurring, not one of the company but ourself knew what the mystical title-page meant.

  9. A diamond with a distinctive colour.
  10. That which pleases or entertains the taste or caprice without much use or value.
  11. A bite-sized sponge cake, with a layer of cream, covered in icing.
    a French fancy; a fondant fancy; cream fancies
  12. (obsolete) A sort of love song or light impromptu ballad.
  13. In the game of jacks, a style of play involving additional actions (contrasted with plainsies).

    • 1970, Marta Weigle, Follow my fancy: the book of jacks and jack games, page 22:

      When you have mastered plainsies, the regular jack game, and have learned all the rules, you will be ready to use this part of the book. A fancy is a variation of plainsies which usually requires more skill than plainsies does.

    • 2002, Elizabeth Dana Jaffe, Sherry L. Field, Linda D. Labbo, Jacks, page 26:

      When you get good at jacks, try adding a fancy. A fancy is an extra round at the end of a game. It makes the game a little harder. Jack Be Nimble, Around the World, or Black Widow are some fancies.

  14. (obsolete, slang, in combination) A colored neckerchief worn at prizefights to show support for a contender.

The imagination; the image-making power of the mind

A whim

An opinion formed without much reflection

Love or amorous attachment

Any sport or hobby pursued by a group

The enthusiasts of such a pursuit

fancy (comparative fancier, superlative fanciest)

  1. Decorative, or featuring decorations, especially intricate or diverse ones.
    Synonyms: decorative, ornate
    Antonyms: plain, simple

    This is a fancy shawl.

  2. Of a superior grade.
    Synonym: high-end

    This box contains bottles of the fancy grade of jelly.

  3. Executed with skill.

    He initiated the game-winning play with a fancy deked saucer pass to the winger.

  4. (colloquial) Unnecessarily complicated.
    Synonym: highfalutin
    Antonym: simple

    I'm not keen on him and his fancy ideas.

  5. (obsolete) Extravagant; above real value.

    • 1859, Thomas Macaulay, The Life of Frederick the Great:

      This anxiety never degenerated into a monomania, like that which led his [Frederick the Great's] father to pay fancy prices for giants.

  • → German: fancy
  • → Norwegian Bokmål: fancy
  • → Norwegian Nynorsk: fancy

decorative

(colloquial) Unnecessarily complicated

fancy (not comparable)

  1. (nonstandard) In a fancy manner; fancily.

    • 1970, Troy Conway, The Cunning Linguist, London: Flamingo Books, page 131:

      I igonored it, hurdling her navel, riding her torso and taking both her breasts in my hands and mashing them none too fancy.

From Middle English fancien, fantasien, fantesien, from Old French fantasier, from the noun (see above)).

fancy (third-person singular simple present fancies, present participle fancying, simple past and past participle fancied)

  1. (formal) To appreciate without jealousy or greed.

    I fancy your new car, but I like my old one just fine.

  2. (British) Would like; have a desire for.
    Synonym: feel like

    I fancy a burger tonight for dinner.

    Do you fancy going to town this weekend?

  3. (British, informal) To be sexually attracted to.
    Synonym: (US) like

    I fancy that girl over there.

  4. (dated or in a set phrase) To imagine, suppose.

    [dated] I fancy you'll want something to drink after your long journey.

    I fancy this is an error.

    Fancy meeting you here!

    Fancy that! I saw Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy kissing in the garden.

    You won't get the gig just because you fancy yourself a musician.

    • a. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, →OCLC:

      If our search has reached no farther than simile and metaphor, we rather fancy than know.

    • 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave Four. The Last of the Spirits.”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 128:

      Quiet and dark, beside him stood the Phantom, with its outstretched hand. When he roused himself from his thoughtful quest, he fancied from the turn of the hand, and its situation in reference to himself, that the Unseen Eyes were looking at him keenly. It made him shudder, and feel very cold.

    • 1878, Henry James, An International Episode‎[4]:

      “Fancy a French waiter at a club,” said his friend.
      The young Englishman started a little, as if he could not fancy it.

    • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 22, in The Dust of Conflict:

      Appleby […] rose from his seat when Morales came in. He shook hands urbanely, unbuckled his sword, and laid his kepi on the table, and then sat down with an expression of concern in his olive face which Appleby fancied was assumed.

  5. To form a conception of; to portray in the mind.
    Synonym: imagine
  6. To have a fancy for; to like; to be pleased with, particularly on account of external appearance or manners.
  7. (transitive) To breed (animals) as a hobby.

    • 1973, American Pigeon Journal, page 159:

      I would recommend this little book very highly to anyone who fancies pigeons, novices and veterans alike.

To imagine

To be sexually attracted to

would like to

  1. ^ “φαντασία”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Borrowed from English fancy.

fancy (indeclinable)

  1. fancy

Borrowed from English fancy. Doublet of Fantasie.

fancy (indeclinable)

  1. (colloquial) fancy (decorative, not everyday, high-end)
    Synonyms: schick, ausgefallen, fein
  • The form fancy is indeclinable: eine fancy Uhr. However, optional declined and compared forms can be built from the stem fancig: eine fancige Uhr.
  • “fancy” in Duden online
  • “fancy” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Borrowed from English fancy.

fancy (indeclinable)

  1. fancy

Borrowed from English fancy.

fancy (indeclinable)

  1. fancy