I learned "tidy" from Kipling's The Elephant's Child. On his way back home, he picked up the banana peels he had
dropped because he was "a tidy Pachyderm". It was a long time before I found out what "pachy-" meant.
tidy
SYLLABICATION: ti·dy
PRONUNCIATION: td
ADJECTIVE: Inflected forms: ti·di·er, ti·di·est
1. Orderly and neat in appearance or procedure. See synonyms at neat1. 2. Informal Adequate; satisfactory: a tidy arrangement. 3. Informal Substantial; considerable: a tidy sum.
VERB: Inflected forms: ti·died, ti·dy·ing, ti·dies
TRANSITIVE VERB: To put in order: tidied up the house.
INTRANSITIVE VERB: To make things tidy: tidied up after dinner.
NOUN: Inflected forms: pl. ti·dies
A decorative protective covering for the arms or headrest of a chair.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English tidi, in season, healthy, from tide, time. See tide1.
OTHER FORMS: tidi·ly —ADVERB
tidi·ness —NOUN
The etymology surprises me.
