wally

Everyday

1. (UK slang, mild) A silly or foolish person; a mild, often friendly insult. tree →
2. (Scotland, informal) Made of china or porcelain, as in a "wally dug" (a china dog ornament) or a tiled "wally close" (entrance). tree →
3. Wally is also a name, as in the books "Where's Wally?" (called "Where's Waldo?" in the USA and Canada). tree →

In the lessons

In UK playgrounds and comedy, "you wally!" is a gentle way of calling someone silly, often in fun. It is milder than words like "idiot". In the puzzle books, you search crowded pictures for Wally in his red-and-white striped jumper. Phrases: "you wally!", "a right wally", "feel like a wally".

Examples

• Don't be a wally; put your coat on, it's freezing! tree →
• I felt like a right wally when I fell off the stage. tree →
• Dad, you wally, you've got your jumper on backwards! tree →
• We spent ages trying to find Wally in the busy beach picture. tree →
• My cousin called me a wally for losing my shoe. tree →
• Nan has a pair of wally dugs on her mantelpiece in Glasgow. tree →

Note

Countable: a wally, plural wallies (y changes to ies). It is mild slang, mostly British; still, it can hurt if said unkindly, so do not use it to bully. Capital W for the name and the book character. Not the same as "wallah" or "wallaby".