Dickensian, in this sense, describes buildings, rooms, and living conditions that are poor, dirty, and grim — the sort of world readers remember from Charles Dickens’s novels: cold houses, crowded streets, hungry children, hard work and little kindness.

Dickensian, in this sense在這個意思上 describes是用來形容 that are poor, dirty, and grim又窮又髒又淒慘的 buildings, rooms, and living conditions建築、房間和生活環境——readers讀者 from Charles Dickens's novels從狄更斯小說裡 remember記得的 the sort of world那種世界：cold houses寒冷的房子、crowded streets擁擠的街道、hungry children飢餓的孩子、hard work辛苦的工作 and little kindness還有很少的溫情。

People say Dickensian conditions when they mean “this is shamefully bleak for the time we live in,” about a factory dorm, an old prison, or a crumbling school. It is not a compliment, and it is a bit literary.

People人們 say Dickensian conditions會說Dickensian conditions when they mean “this is shamefully bleak for the time we live in,”意思是「以我們現在的時代來說，這慘得說不過去」, about a factory dorm, an old prison, or a crumbling school用在工廠宿舍、老舊監獄，或快垮掉的學校上。It它 is not a compliment不是稱讚, and而且 it它 is a bit literary帶點文學味。

The word is the writer’s name plus -ian, “like that person or their world.” Though actually, Dickens wrote funny and warm scenes too; this sense picks out the bleak, dirty, overcrowded side.

The word這個字 is the writer's name plus -ian是作家的名字加上-ian, “like that person or their world.”意思是「像那個人或他們的世界」。Though actually不過其實, Dickens狄更斯 wrote funny and warm scenes too也寫過有趣溫暖的場景; this sense這個意思 picks out the bleak, dirty, overcrowded side挑的是淒慘、骯髒、擁擠的那一面。

It is not a general word for “old-fashioned” or “British.”

It它 is not a general word for “old-fashioned” or “British.”不是泛指「老式」或「英國的」的字。