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Glite Dictionary
where the dickens

where the dickens

9.9
To ask in surprise where someone or something is
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : dónde demonios
  • Where the dickens have you been?

Examples

  • Where the dickens did you put my keys? I can't find them anywhere.

  • I was shocked to see him; where the dickens has he been hiding?

  • She exclaimed, where the dickens did that noise come from?

Synonyms

where
vswhere the dickens
∞ 1.0

Asking about the place of a person or thing

adds surprise or strong emphasis rather than neutral asking
on Earth
vswhere the dickens
  • Informal
32 2.3

To show strong surprise or doubt in a question

is used specifically to ask about location while also showing surprise

Surface Forms

where the dickens main

Morphology

where + the + dickens

The phrase functions as an idiomatic intensifier (originally a euphemism for 'devil') and does not yield a locative meaning from the literal words 'where' + 'the' + 'dickens'. A B1 learner who knows the constituents would not predict the emphatic/surprised interrogative use without prior exposure, and the construction is language-specific and somewhat archaic.

Etymology

The idiom where the dickens comes from an old, mild word dickens that people used instead of the stronger word 'devil'. So today, saying where the dickens before a question shows surprise or confusion about where someone or something is.