chummy

English

Etymology

From chum +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈ t͡ʃʌmɪ/ (enPR: chŭm'-ē)

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

chummy (comparative chummier or more chummy, superlative chummiest or most chummy)

1. (informal) Friendly; on, or trying to be on, intimate terms.

   Synonym: familiar

   Antonyms: aloof, distant, formal, mannered, unfriendly, unsociable

   • 1992 October, Steve Buckley, “Boss Hog: Jim Lachey is the best offensive lineman in football playing on the best team in football”, in Sport, volume 83, number 10, →ISSN, page 64:

     Lachey and Olson have become rather chummy the last couple of years—they slide each other free tickets, they visit each other at practice sessions and games, their wives hang out—and, well, Olson has been filling Lachey’s head with a lot of baseball talk.

   • 1993, “Moving Targets”, in Beverly Hills, 90210, season 4, episode 7 (television production), spoken by Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty):

     From what Brandon tells me, Andrea is getting pretty chummy with her dorm advisor!

   • 2001, Larry David, “Thor”, in Curb Your Enthusiasm, season 2, episode 2 (television production), Larry David (actor):

     Yeah, I was just being nice! I was being nice and chummy!

   • 2023 September 18, HarryBlank, “Hidden Depths”, in SCP Foundation‎, archived from the original on 25 May 2024:

     She'd expected to sleep fitfully. Her bunk was in an alcove separated from the others physically by a server partition and sonically by an extra-loud electronic hum, which didn't surprise her since she'd only started attempting a chummier rapport with her troops in the year which hadn't happened.

Derived terms

• chummily
• chumminess
• unchummy

 

Translations

friendly; trying to be on intimate terms

German: umgänglich (de), locker (de), persönlich (de) Swedish: tjenis (sv)

Noun

chummy (plural chummies)

1. Synonym of chum (“friend, pal”)
   • 1949, Stephen Peter Llewellyn, Journey Towards Christmas, page 142:

     Meanwhile the Tommies had discovered several large tins of ham in the captured lorry. 'That,' said the big Nazi, 'is for our tea.' 'No,' said a Tommy sergeant-major. 'That's for our tea. For you, chummy, we've kept a nice bit of bull.'

   • 1991, Stephen King, Needful Things:

     Sonny's knotted, distrustful face relaxed all at once. "You're goddamned right about that, chummy!" he exclaimed.

2. (obsolete) A boy who works for a chimney sweep.
3. (law enforcement slang) Nickname for a person, especially a suspect or criminal.
   • 2002, Roy C. Lilley, Paul Lambden, The Tool Kit for Dental Risk Management, page 21:

     What happens when the Old Bill turns up and want to look at 'chummies^[sic] dental records, guv, 'cos 'e's bitten a bloke's ear off in the pub'?

4. (dated) A felt hat with a low crown.
   • 1933, Christopher Bush, Return, page 133:

     When Nipper was bowling he came in to the silliest of silly points, put his chummy hat well over his eyes, spat on his hands and generally annoyed the batsman so much that he lost his temper, […]

   • quoted in 2021, Peter Hore, Bletchley Park's Secret Source (page 52)

     Joy Banham recalled that in 1942, some three years into the war, when the privilege of wearing the tricorn hat was extended to petty officers: 'While I was at St David's the new tricorn hats for Petty Officers came on stream. As new girls were drafted to us they came wearing the new hats. Whereas we still had the old canvas “chummies” and we were quite envious.

5. (Newfoundland English) A person or thing with a name that one cannot immediately recall.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:thingy