little pekkie
- noun
- Informal
:
pequeñín
- He smiled and called his granddaughter his little pekkie after she gave him a hug.
Examples
-
Whenever I was feeling sad, my mother would gently call me her little pekkie to cheer me up.
-
Ever since she was born, Anna has been our little pekkie and brings us so much joy.
-
Look at that little pekkie playing in the garden!
-
I love my little pekkies so much.
-
He smiled and called his granddaughter his little pekkie after she gave him a hug.
-
Whenever I was feeling sad, my mother would gently call me her little pekkie to cheer me up.
-
Look at that little pekkie playing in the garden!
Synonyms
558
2.8
A person you love or care for very much
69
9.5
A small, very cute person or animal that people often call by a nickname
62
9.0
An affectionate slang word often used for a girlfriend or close friend
61
4.4
A woman or girl spoken to in a warm, slightly old-fashioned way
39
7.7
A small child said in a friendly, loving way
7
7.8
A small doll or a name for a sweet child
4
9.9
A friendly, playful name you use for someone you love
3
1.0
People call young children that in a caring way
2
9.1
A loving nickname for a child or someone you love
1
8.9
A friendly name for a person, or a small duck
A friendly loving name for a child or someone you love
A small boy people call in a friendly, playful way
A loving nickname used for a person or pet
How Affectionate
- Informal
∞
1.0
- Informal
∞
1.0
- Informal
- Informal
11
2.1
- Informal
49
2.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
little + pekkie
The form contains an unknown lexical item 'pekkie' so a B1 learner who knows 'little' but not the base cannot derive the phrase's meaning. Although the -ie ending and 'little' signal a diminutive/affection pattern, the referent/base is opaque or nonce (a nickname), making the overall meaning unpredictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Little pekkie may come from the idea of a small kiss: the word peck means 'a small kiss', and the parts pekkie and little make the picture of someone tiny and loved. That's why people use little pekkie as a gentle name for 'someone dear'.