noun
General Slang
brolly
BROL-ee · noun · military
A parachute — British forces slang.
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Definitions
1
RAF aircrew slang for a parachute — because when it opens above you it looks like an umbrella, and 'brolly' is the British nickname for an umbrella. WWII vintage and still in use. Hitting the silk, taking to the brolly, same thing.
“Engine packed in over the Channel and he had to take to the brolly.”
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2
The everyday British word for an umbrella — the civilian sense the military one was borrowed from.
“Grab a brolly, it's chucking it down.”
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3
An umbrella.
“Take a brolly, it's bucketing down.”
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brolly In A Sentence
Engine packed in over the Channel and he had to take to the brolly.
Grab a brolly, it's chucking it down.
Origin & Usage
Diminutive of 'umbrella'.
Variants
brollies
People Also Ask
What is a 'brolly'?
A 'brolly' is an umbrella. It's a diminutive formed from the middle of the word 'umbrella'.
Is 'brolly' only Australian?
No, 'brolly' is also common in British English, though it fits neatly with the Australian love of shortened words.
How do you use 'brolly' in a sentence?
For example, 'Take a brolly, it's bucketing down' — 'bucketing down' meaning raining heavily.
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