Phrase guide

spotted dick

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit, usually currants; traditional in England.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a suet pudding containing currants

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: suet pudding

History

Etymology

Spotted refers to the dried fruits (that resemble spots). Dick is a dialectal term for "pudding". It may be related to dough, duff (meaning "dough" or "pudding") and Old English dāg (“dough”). Alternatively, it may be a corruption/contraction of the last syllable of pudding, or from German dick (“thick, viscous”).

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 葡萄乾布丁 /葡萄干布丁 (pútáogān bùdīng) — steamed suet pudding
  • Finnish: spotted dick — steamed suet pudding
  • Polish: spotted dick — steamed suet pudding
  • Russian: варёный пу́динг с изю́мом (varjónyj púding s izjúmom) — steamed suet pudding
  • Russian: долма́тец (dolmátec) — steamed suet pudding
  • Russian: «пятни́стый Дик» — steamed suet pudding