peely-wally en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈpiliˌwali/ (Scotland)
- /piːliˈwali/ (UK)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈpiːliwali/ (UK)
Etymology
From Scots peely-wally.
Meanings
-
(Scotland, not-comparable) Pale, pasty; off-color or ill-looking.
But I felt that Tommy's championing of the lit de soleil, as it's known in Maryhill, was courageous and condign. It allowed otherwise peely wally Glaswegians to hold their tanned faces aloft in polite company and let their neighbours think they'd been to Santa Ponsa or Majorca.
2011 July 3, Kevin McKenna, The Guardian:‘Are there no English troops out here?’ ‘A few,’ Gilzean said. ‘But they're all sick. Peely-wally lot the English, ye ken.’
1984, William Boyd, An Ice Cream War:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| peelie wallie | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (4)
de bleich (pale, off-color) · de blass (pale, off-color) · de kränklich (pale, off-color) · de fahl (pale, off-color)