ditty

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Vocalists Nick Krill and Thomas Hughes have a great high-low harmony going that carries throughout the song; but it has to be said that their almost-lazy delivery style leaves the listener wondering a bit what this ditty is all about.

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Definitions (10)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. noun A simple song.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (6)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples (50)

  • Vocalists Nick Krill and Thomas Hughes have a great high-low harmony going that carries throughout the song; but it has to be said that their almost-lazy delivery style leaves the listener wondering a bit what this ditty is all about. —  Spinner
  • The ditty, which is about what it's title says it's about, and which made its legend on YouTube, where its lyrics can be enjoyed in all their uncensored glory, defeated the likes of "Everything Comes Down to Poo," from —  E! Online (US) - Top Stories
  • But when the Irishman called on the whalers for a ditty, a fine-looking youth sang a song of the "Homeward Bound," in a voice so sweet and true, that the spirit of the men was changed, and many a moistened eye told that deep chords of sympathy had been touched Can you play the fiddle?" —  Philosopher Jack
  • It was a common saying One's grief, two's mirth Three's a marriage, four's a birth and another rendering of the above heard in Montgomeryshire was One for bad luck Two for good luck Three for a wedding Four for a burying Another ditty is as follows One's joy, two's greet (crying Three's a wedding, four's a sheet (death As stated above, one is grief, or bad luck, if it flies from right to left, but if from left to right it implied success or joy. —  Welsh Folk-Lore a Collection of the Folk-Tales and Legends of North Wales
  • Strangely enough, his ditty was a popular Spanish refrain of some matador's aristocratic inamorata Do you see my black eyes I am Manuel's Duchess sang Pereo, with infinite gravity. —  Maruja
 

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English dite, a literary composition, from Old French dite, from Latin dictātum, thing dictated, from neuter past participle of dictāre, to dictate, frequentative of dīcere, to say; see deik- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Early modern English also dittie, ditie (also dit: see dit); from Middle English dite, dyte, ditee (also dit), from Old French dite, ditte, ditie, dittie, dictie, masculine, a story, poem, song, or other composition, from Latin dictatum, a thing dictated for writing, neuter of dictatus, past participle of dictare, dictate: see dictate. Cf. dittay and dictate, n., and see dight, from the same source.
  2. from ditty, n.
 

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/ˈdɪti/
by American Heritage

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