E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Dad or Daddy.
Father. The person who acts as father at a wedding, a stage-manager. The superintendent of a casual ward is termed by the inmates “Old Daddy.” (A Night in a Workhouse, by an Amateur Casual [J. Græn-wood].)
1
In the Fortunes of Nigel, by Sir W. Scott, Steenie, Duke of Buckingham, calls King James “My dear dad and gossip.” (Welsh, tad; Irish, daid, father; Sanskrit, tada; Hindu, dada.)
