/nɛli/
OriginShortened from Nelly Duff, for puff, i.e. breath of life.
- Cockney, slangA person's life.
- British, slangA silly person.
- A giant petrel, Macronectes giganteus and Macronectes halli.
- 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, t”
“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.”
- One of the Frazier Islands where nellies breed.
- A surname.
Formsnellies(plural) · nellier(comparative) · nelliest(superlative)