golly
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golly¹
- /ˈɡɒli/
Rhymes with -ɒli
Where it comes from
Euphemism for God, dating from the 18th century. Possibly a compaction of “God′s body”.
interjection gollies
-
A mild expression of surprise or enthusiasm.
Golly! That was a long trip to California.
Similar: wow
golly²
- /ˈɡɒli/
Rhymes with -ɒli
Where it comes from
From golliwog.
noun gollies
- A type of black rag doll. 1985, New Society, Volumes 71-72, page 4, There are pictures of the original “gollywogg” (thus spelt) from Florence Upton′s 19th century children′s books; there are examples of anti-semitic Edwardian gollies with huge noses, and all sorts of other curiosities.
- Any dark-skinned person. “Bloody gollies!” muttered David Bromhead, provoked by the assault into bitter xenophobia.
golly³
- /ˈɡɒli/
Rhymes with -ɒli
Where it comes from
Nonstandard diminutive of galosh.
noun gollies
- A galosh.
golly⁴
- /ˈɡɒli/
Rhymes with -ɒli
Where it comes from
Compare east Anglia dialect golls (mucus; pendent matter hanging from children's noses).
verb gollies · gollying · gollied
- To spit out phlegm that has been forced up into the mouth from one's throat. When he saw what was happening he threw down his bag, gollied up some phlegm, and spat into the sand.
noun gollies
- A collection of saliva and phlegm collected in the mouth and spat out. hack up a golly
- Chewing gum.
Translations
Talk about this word "golly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/golly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. golly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/golly "golly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/golly.Cite this
@misc{golly_2026,
title = {golly},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/golly},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
