different between gully vs golly

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: g?l'?, IPA^(key): /???li/
• Rhymes: -?li

Etymology 1

From Middle English golet, from Old French goulet, from Latin gula (“throat”).

Noun

gully (plural gullies)

1. A trench, ravine or narrow channel which was worn by water flow, especially on a hillside.

   Synonym: gill

2. A small valley.
3. (Britain) A drop kerb.
4. A road drain.
5. (cricket) A fielding position on the off side about 30 degrees behind square, between the slips and point; a fielder in such a position

   Synonym: box

6. (Britain) A grooved iron rail or tram plate.

Alternative forms

• gulley

Related terms

• gullet
• gully gut
• gully hole

Descendants

• ? German: Gully

Translations

Verb

gully (third-person singular simple present gullies, present participle gullying, simple past and past participle gullied)

1. (obsolete) To flow noisily.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Johnson to this entry?)

2. (transitive) To wear away into a gully or gullies.

Etymology 2

From Scots gully, of unknown origin.

Noun

gully (plural gullies)

1. (Scotland, northern UK) A large knife.
   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, page 139:

     With that I made my mind up, took out my gully, opened it with my teeth, and cut one strand after another […]

Further reading

• gully on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Gullies And Other Knives

Scots

Etymology

Origin unknown.

Noun

gully (plural gullies)

1. large knife

   • God than he lewch and owre the dyk lap, / And owt of his scheith his gully owtgatt. (The Bannatyne Manuscript)

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???li/
• Rhymes: -?li

Etymology 1

Euphemism for God, dating from the 18th century. Possibly a compaction of “God?s body”.

Alternative forms

• gollies

Interjection

golly

1. (euphemistic) God! [From 1775.]
   • 1898, The Overland Monthly, page 511,

     “Golly! What would dad say if I did marry him?”

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:wow

Etymology 2

From golliwog.

Noun

golly (plural gollies)

1. Abbreviation of golliwog:
   1. A type of black rag doll.
      • 1985, New Society, Volumes 71-72, page 4,

        There are pictures of the original “gollywogg” (thus spelt) from Florence Upton?s 19th century children?s books; there are examples of anti-semitic Edwardian gollies with huge noses, and all sorts of other curiosities.

      • 2007, Richard Littlejohn, Littlejohn?s Britain, page 162,

        The Golliwog Squad was also making itself busy in Worthing, Sussex. Police said they were treating as a matter of ‘priority’ a complaint about gollies being displayed in a local store. Owner John Scadgell faced charges under Section 2 of the Public Order Act, which makes it an offence to exhibit anything which could be considered threatening, abusive or insulting.

   2. (offensive, ethnic slur) Any dark skinned person.
      • 2005, Richard Snailham, The Blue Nile Revealed: The Story of the Great Abbai Expedition, 1968, page 217,

        “Bloody gollies!” muttered David Bromhead, provoked by the assault into bitter xenophobia.

      • 2008, Theo van Leeuwen, Discourse and Practice: New Tools for Critical Analysis, page 137,

        […] poked fun at the American “fashion” of “political correctness” and reassured viewers that gollies and black minstrel shows are just good, old-fashioned, innocent fun.

Etymology 3

Nonstandard diminutive of galosh.

Noun

golly (plural gollies)

1. (Britain) A galosh.

Etymology 4

Possibly from Goliath.
This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Verb

golly (third-person singular simple present gollies, present participle gollying, simple past and past participle gollied)

1. (Australia, juvenile) To spit; to force up phlegm from one's throat.
   • 2010, Marion Houldsworth, The Morning Side of the Hill: Growing Up in Townsville in World War II, revised edition, page 113,

     When he saw what was happening he threw down his bag, gollied up some phlegm, and spat into the sand.

Noun

golly (plural gollies)

1. (Australian slang, juvenile) Chewing gum.
2. (Australian slang, juvenile) Saliva or phlegm.

   hack up a golly

Derived terms

• golly pot

Etymology 5

Possibly from the Swahili for "expensive," [ghali] uttered when a potential slave buyer thought a slave's price was too high.