nelly
nounnounadjectiveattested in dialogue
- United Kingdom//nɛli//
A person's life.
noun
- 1
slangA person's life.
Etymology
Shortened from Nelly Duff, for puff, i.e. breath of life.
noun
- 1
slangAn effeminate homosexual man.
- 2
slangA silly person.
- 3
A giant petrel, Macronectes giganteus and Macronectes halli.
Etymology
From the woman's name Nelly.
adjective
- 1
slangUnmanly; effeminate.
From Christopher Street to Castro Street, these men are peddling the same message. I'm butch, a macho man. Well, it ain't necessarily so. In fact, as a general rule of thumb, the butcher the get-up, the nellier the wearer.
Some of the nelliest boys unable to get or keep a job, some of the toughest girls breaking their bodies trying to do men's work.
Forms
- plural
- nellies
- comparative
- nellier
- superlative
- nelliest