Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. malicious, sarcastic.

1908		V. Woolf letter in Banks & Nicolson Letters of V. Woolf (1975) 358: I get bitchy if I stay in, I must tramp now, in my great boots and water proof.
1927		E. Pound in Exile 2 79: Her mother’s a washerwoman, some girl told me. Bitch. Women are bitchy. Men are bitchy .
1935		S. Kingsley Dead End Act III: That sounds pretty bitchy, I suppose.
1945		(con. 1937) R. Westerby Mad in Pursuit 203: Every woman’s bitchy at heart. The plain ones take it out of each other, and the lovelies take it out of the men.
1957		G. Metalious Peyton Place (1959) 128: Oh, you stinking, rotten, goddamned bitchy sonofabitch!
1961		R.S. Close With Hooves of Brass 49: [A]lthough she laughed at some of the cracks, all knew they could not hope to pump any bitchy gossip out of her.
1962		F. Norman Guntz 115: What with every one making bitchy comments to each other.
1973		D. Williamson What If You Died Tomorrow (1977) II i: It was just bitchy crap.
1978		L. Kramer Faggots 22: I shall not become a bitchy, middle-aged queen. I shall not turn sour.
1979		D. Gram Foxes (1980) 155: That was a really stupid bitch thing to do.
1986		F. Taylor Auf Wiedersehen Pet Two 260: Nice to see you back at your bitchy best.
1992		K. Lette Llama Parlour 52: Rondah played the bitchy career woman.
2000		Guardian G2 20 Jan. 9: Cynthia’s bitchy sister, Libby.
2007		L. Redhead Cherry Pie [ebook] I’d had enough of bitchy broads but stayed polite.
2016		T. Robinson Rough Trade [ebook] ‘His bitchy attitude isn’t helping’.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 595: [T]hey soon agreed, in a rare access of bitchy harmony.

2. (orig. US) sexually provocative, sexually appealing.

c.1925		R. McAlmon Miss Knight (1963) 66: She [...] out of a now gayer mood and of an habitual bitchy gaiety, shouted across the aisle to a Germany boy she knew, ‘Oh you Suzie stoopantakit, I got your number. It’s – 96 – ain’t it? You know, dearie, I think yer queer’.
1941		Time 13 Oct. 36: Two bitchy strip queens are murdered.
1958		‘Ed Lacy’ Room to Swing 162: I ought to get into a bitchy dress—something real seductive.
1964		H. Selby Jr Last Exit to Brooklyn 70: Camille felt real bitchy and daring and winked at Sal.
1982		(con. 1970) J.M. Del Vecchio 13th Valley (1983) 19: In Sydney, with a bitchy little Sydneysider, he had discovered moments when the Nam was forgotten.

3. (US) difficult.

1964		L. Nkosi Rhythm of Violence II iii: What a goddamn bitchy night!
1974		V.E. Smith Jones Men 178: I don’t mean to sound bitchy.
1990		(con. early 1950s) J. Ellroy L.A. Confidential 100: Joan Morrow Loew stayed bitchy; Welton and the old lady grudgingly accepted him.