Bally

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -æli

Origin

Alteration of bloody

Full definition of bally

Adjective

1. (British, dated, euphemistic) bloody; used as a mild intensifier.He's just a bally idiot.
• Wodehouse Offing|VII, VIII, and XV|However, be that as it may and whether you liked the bally thing or didn't, the point was that it had vanished ... It amazed me that I could have allowed myself to be let in for a binge of this description simply because a woman wished it. Too bally chivalrous for our own good, we Woosters, and always have been. ... “When you hear me burst into song, you'll know there's peril afoot and you'll have plenty of time to nip out of the window.” “And break my bally neck?” ... “Nothing can possibly go wrong.” “Just as you say, sir. But I still have that feeling.” The blood of the Woosters is hot, and I was about to tell him in set terms what I thought of his bally feeling, when I suddenly spotted what it was that was making him crab the act.

Adverb

1. (UK, dated, euphemistic) Very.That was a bally foolish thing to do, old chap!

Usage notes

Bally is almost exclusively used by the British upper classes.

Synonyms

• blasted, dashed

Anagrams

• lylab