Added 9 October 2026
doozy
/ˈduːzi/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about doozy at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
Something that is extraordinary: often troublesome, difficult or problematic, but sometimes extraordinary in a positive sense.
Most of the test was easy, but the last question was a doozy.
adjective
- Of high quality; remarkable; excellent. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
- Sporty, ostentatious, flashy.
Origin
Unknown. First appearance 1903. Perhaps from daisy (“the flower”) (Rudyard Kipling used daisy in this sense) or the name of Italian actress Eleonora Duse. The automobile manufacturer Duesenberg is often erroneously cited as the origin, but the word existed more than a decade earlier. Alternatively, possibly from Polish duży, but this is chronologically unlikely and not attested in period sources.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)