dido

Etymology 1

Unknown. The "trick" sense might come from the trick of Dido, queen of Carthage, who, having bought as much land as a hide would cover, is said to have cut it into thin strips long enough to enclose a spot for a citadel.

noun

1. (slang, regional) A fuss, a row.
   I remember Raymond telling me years later how when he lived at home, if his mother heard he had been seen as much as talking to a girl, she would kick up a dido. 1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York, published 2007, page 30
2. A shrewd trick; an antic; a caper.
   to cut a dido
   Young people," interposed a passing official, " if you keep a cutting didoes, I must talk to you both like a Dutch uncle. 1838, Joseph Clay Neal, Charcoal Sketches; Or, Scenes in a Metropolis, page 201
   Our youngest uncle, Billy, was not old enough to join in their didoes. One of their more flamboyant escapades has become a proud family legend. 1969, Maya Angelou, chapter 10, in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, New York: Bantam, published 1971, page 55

Etymology 2

adv

1. (US) Misspelling of ditto.