Green’s Dictionary of Slang

attractive, first-rate, excellent, a general term of approbation; thus fine and dandy, a general phr. of approval.

1794		Mass. Spy 27 Aug. n.p.: My uncle Cuthbert blew out a prodigious puff of my dandy tobacco.
1819		‘One of the Fancy’ Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 14: While the Porpus kept guard / O’er his beautiful mug, as if fearing to hazard / One damaging touch in so dandy a mazzard.
1825		‘Dandy Cat’s-Meat Lass’ in Universal Songster I 17/1: No Wenus ever could surpass / The handsome dandy cat’s-meat lass.
1840		‘The Queen of the Nice Little Islands’ in C. Hindley James Catnach (1878) 320: I will; my loving Albert treat / With a handsome dandy coat so neat.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 104/2: We both dived our ‘mauleys’ into our coat pockets in search of our dandy silk ‘wipes’ — not there!
1877		‘Dandy Pat’ in Yankee Paddy Comic Song Book 6: I am the boy called Dandy Pat, Dandy Pat.
1888		St Louis (MO) Globe-Democrat 21 Jan. n.p.: My box ain’t no good mister, but I know a feller over dere dat’s got de dandy one [F&H].
1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 23 Nov. 2/3: Marie, you’re a dandy kisser.
1893		S. Crane Maggie, a Girl of the Streets (2001) 39: He’s a dindy masher, ain’t he, by Gawd.
1907		‘A Cronk Camp’ Truth (Wellington) 19 Jan. 5: The dandy colored coon suddenly exhibited a spasm of religion.
1908		‘O. Henry’ ‘Nemesis and the Candy Man’ in Voice of the City (1915) 120: Yer’d make a dandy magazine cover.
1917		R. Lardner ‘Three Kings and a Pair’ in Gullible’s Travels 55: I don’t often get a chance at food that’s cooked like this. Your wife’s some dandy little cook!
1925		Black Mask Aug. III 83: I’ve got the dandiest little formula.
1939		J. Weidman What’s In It For Me? 166: Which was almost exactly what I suspected, and therefore just dandy.
1949		R. Chandler Little Sister 95: ‘That’s just dandy,’ I said.
1954		K. Amis letter 21 Oct. in Leader (2000) 408: If Boultings or someone else come through everything will be dandy again.
1963		M. Braly Shake Him Till He Rattles (1964) 102: Well, now, that’s dandy.
1972		G.V. Higgins Friends of Eddie Coyle 131: Dandy. But what’s Jackie Brown done for me?
1987		J. Ciardi Good Words 316: Copasetic. All in order. All Okay. Fine and dandy.
1989		C. Hiaasen Skin Tight 37: ‘Just dandy,’ said the clerk.
1996		J. Cameron It Was An Accident 141: Going in after the small farmers for help never look so dandy.
1997		C. Hiaasen Lucky You 166: It’s fine and dandy for him to roust a couple beaners for eight lousy bucks.
2000		Guardian Rev. 5 Feb. 4: It’ll be just dandy getting to know these characters, won’t it?
2010		(con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 183: ‘We gonna be here much longer?’ ‘Another half hour or so. That okay with you?’ ‘Dandy’.