peely-wally

English

WOTD – 7 August 2011

Alternative forms

• peelie wallie

Etymology

From Scots peely-wally.

Pronunciation

• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈpiliˌwali/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpiːliwali/, /piːliˈwali/

Adjective

peely-wally (not comparable)

1. (chiefly Scotland) Pale, pasty; off-color or ill-looking. [from 19th c.]
   • 1984, William Boyd, An Ice Cream War:

     ‘Are there no English troops out here?’ ‘A few,’ Gilzean said. ‘But they're all sick. Peely-wally lot the English, ye ken.’

   • 2011, Kevin McKenna, The Guardian, 3 Jul 2011:

     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.

Translations

pale, off-color

• German: blass (de), bleich (de), fahl (de), kränklich (de)

Scots

Etymology

Reduplication of peelie, with variation of initial syllable.

Adjective

peely-wally (comparative mair peely-wally, superlative maist peely-wally)

1. peely-wally, sickly, pasty
   • 2007, Irvine Welsh, If You Liked School, You'll Love Work:

     Erchie hus a laugh at that yin, n the Neebour gies a peely-wally smile while the Duke signals up a round ay black gold.