Show Search Results Show Browse

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

TOLLIE, n.1 Also to(a)lie, toley, toly. [′tole]

1. A small round cake of oatmeal or other kinds of bread (Lnk. 1825 Jam., to(a)lie).

2. Also tolly. A lump of excrement (Fif. 1825 Jam.), of a horse (Ayr. 1930) or dog (m.Lth. 1958). Gen. (exc. I.) Sc.Edb. 1956:
There is a counting-out rhyme: — “Eelie ollie, dog's tollie, Eelie ollie, out.”
Gsw. 1977 Alan Spence in Moira Burgess and Hamish Whyte Streets of Stone (1985) 152:
Tommy bestowing a shower of coins from the window, jolted back into his seat as the taxis moved off. Agnes turned in her seat for a last look at the scramble before they rounded the corner.
'God, wid ye look at them!' she said, laughing. 'Lik flies roon a toly!'
Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 70:
toley Local term for the act or product of defecation. Sometimes used as a name for an objectionable person.
m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 45:
Yae forenicht thro the Big Hoose rose-busses
thair cam on him a scabbit, hungert tod.
Nou he's twa tollies doon the birkenshaw.

3.  Term of abuse for a person.Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 70:
toley Local term for the act or product of defecation. Sometimes used as a name for an objectionable person.
Gsw. 1987 Peter Mason C'mon Geeze Yer Patter! 59:
Ye'r no winchin that wee toley, urye? Surely you're not courting that little piece of excrement?
Sc. 1998 Scotsman 29 Dec 14:
If the wee toley had been called Tristan de Vere Courtney - an unlikelihood in itself, particularly in 1960s Bathgate - I would have felt the same way about that.
Edb. 2004:
Shut yer face ya wee tollie!

[Appar. an unvoiced variant of Doll, n.1, q.v. Cf. Doldie, Toldie.]

You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.

"Tollie n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 28 Mar 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tollie_n1>

27356

snd

Hide Advanced Search

Browse SND:

    Loading...

Share: