nelly
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
nelly/ˈnɛli/
▶noun (pl. nellies) informal
- 1 a silly person.
- 2 derogatory an effeminate homosexual man.
– phrases
not on your nelly Brit. certainly not. [orig. as not on your Nelly Duff, rhyming sl. for ‘puff’ (i.e. breath of life); modelled on the phr. not on your life.]
not on your nelly Brit. certainly not. [orig. as not on your Nelly Duff, rhyming sl. for ‘puff’ (i.e. breath of life); modelled on the phr. not on your life.]
– origin 1930s: from the given name Nelly.
'nelly' also found in these Oxford entries:
