Informal or slang term for a person with dipsomania; a chronic alcoholic.
A diminutive or casual variant of 'dipso' or 'dipsomaniac,' formed in early 20th-century slang using the '-ie' suffix. Often used affectionately or contemptuously depending on context.
The informal '-ie' ending (like 'dipsie' for dipsomania) shows how working-class and medical slang eventually influence formal language—many words considered crude or casual eventually become accepted in dictionaries.
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