peckish, adj. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

peckish adj.

also pecky

hungry.

1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 155: Somewhat Peckish, that is, Hungry.
c.1750		‘Ainster Lassie’ in Bold (1979) 4: Then sun was hot, the burn was prime, so Bob jogged on his way, / When bye and bye he peckish got and faiked amang the hay.
1780		A Treatise upon Publicans 26: One says to the other aside, I’m peckish, they asks the landlord what he had to eat?
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1793		J. O’Keeffe London Hermit (1794) 20: Bite. I wish we had dinner [...] I’m quite peckish. Poz. You peck’d all the way at the ham and cold fowls.
1809		Horry & Weems Life of General F. Marion (1816) 85: I feel both peckish and weary.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1829		‘I’m One of the New Police’ in C. Hindley James Catnach (1878) 207: ’Tis pleasant when I peckish feel / With Moll or Bess to stop.
1838		T. Haliburton Clockmaker II 12: I don’t care if I stop and breakfast with you, for I feel considerable peckish.
1840		T. Hood ‘Friend in Need’ Works (1862) V 310: I’m a little peckish.
1841		Sydney Herald 26 Oct. 2/4: Mr Rennie gave an immense number of examples of similar slang [...] music, for ‘fun;’ a good hand, for ‘dextrous’ or ‘expert;’ peckish, for ‘hungry;’ sticks, for ‘household furniture;’ seedy, for ‘poor;’ spliced, for ‘married’.
1847		[A. Harris] (con. 1820s) Settlers & Convicts 316: ‘Well, old fellow, I ’spose you're pretty peckish? Down with some more wood’.
1857		Boy’s Own Mag. Sept. 267: Declaring ‘that they feel a little peckish,’ enter, and begin to demolish the mountain of beef, ham, mutton and vegetables.
1858		Bell’s Life in Sydney 25 Dec. 3/1: I shouted for her and myself, and then she gave me to understand that she felt very peckish. She invited me to stand a ‘feed’.
1862		Golden Age (Queenbeyan, NSW) 28 Aug. 3/4: [H]e was [...] ‘that peckish he could snack off a dead horse, if nothing better presented itself;’ and as he went to seek something wherewith to satisfy his ‘peckishness’.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 78/2: Joe and I had eaten nothing since early the previous day and now I began to feel rather ‘peckish’.
1879		letter 7 Mar. in T. Hughes Gone To Texas (1884) 63: I had just laid in a nose-bag full of grub [...] and was peckish.
1887		W.E. Henley ‘Culture in the Slums’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 178: ‘For lo!’ she ses, ‘for lo! old pal,’ ses she, / ‘I’m blooming peckish, neither more nor less.’.
1893		H. Lawson ‘“Dossing Out” and “Camping”’ in Roderick (1972) 163: They were feeling ‘peckish’ [...] and wanted to see if they could get anything to eat.
1900		Boy’s Own Paper 29 Dec. 198: I’m beginning to feel peckish.
1918		K.F. Purdon Dinny on the Doorstep 44: ‘I do believe the child is hungry!’ said Ruth [...] ‘A bit peckish. I daresay,’ replied Jack.
1929		J.B. Priestley Good Companions 403: I’ve had nothing but a cup of tea and a bun since half-past twelve, and I’m peckish now.
1932		M. Marshall Travels of Tramp-Royal 94: Then, feeling peckish, I struck off the road [...] and cooked a meal over a fire of driftwood.
1946		S. Jackson An Indiscreet Guide to Soho 42: You get peckish wandering about Soho.
1957		A. Buckeridge Thanks to Jennings (1988) 95: He must be getting a bit peckish by now.
1965		E. Bond Saved Scene ii: Still pecky? [...] There’s a bit’a choclit left. ’Ere.
1971		N. Armfelt Catching Up 204: I’m peckish myself.
1985		R.G. Barrett You Wouldn’t Be Dead for Quids (1989) 47: Feeling a bit peckish now he [...] threw a T-bone [...] under the griller.
1989		(con. 1950s–60s) in G. Tremlett Little Legs 29: You come back a bit peckish.
1998		R.G. Barrett Mud Crab Boogie (2013) [ebook] ‘Why don’t we order some food [...] I’m feeling a bit peckish’.
1999		(con. 1979–80) A. Wheatle Brixton Rock (2004) 27: I was feeling a bit peckish, so I thought I’d start dinner early.
2001		M. Coles Bible in Cockney 70: Did you never read about David when he was peckish and needed something to eat?
2019		G. Disher Peace 34: ‘On his way home, he feels a bit peckish’.

In derivatives

peckishness (n.)

(Aus.) hunger.

1862

Golden Age (Queenbeyan, NSW) 28 Aug. 3/4: [H]e was [...] ‘that peckish he could snack off a dead horse, if nothing better presented itself;’ and as he went to seek something wherewith to satisfy his ‘peckishness’.