Bickie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A casual or slang term used to refer to a biscuit or cookie, typically in British or Australian English
2. An informal way of naming a small sweet baked good known as a biscuit or cookie
3. A colloquial expression for a baked treat like a cookie or biscuit often enjoyed with tea or coffee

Etymology: "Bickie" is a diminutive of "biscuit", formed by clipping the original word and adding the suffix "-y" (also spelled "-ie"). The "-y" ending was a common way in British and Australian English to turn a noun into a fond, small-scale version of itself, which is why many everyday words ended up with it: "doggy", "hankie", "brekkie" and so on. The word "biscuit" itself has a surprising origin. It comes from the Old French "bescuit", meaning "twice-cooked", a reference to the old practice of baking bread twice so it would keep for long voyages and campaigns. A "biscuit" was originally a hard, dry ship's bread, far from the sweet treat we know today. Clipping and adding a diminutive suffix turned that sturdy sea provision into a cheerful nickname, and the form "bickie" is simply a spelling variant of "biccy", the same word written in a different way.