Lallies
Polari for legs — the singular 'lally' meaning one leg.
Definitions
Polari for legs. One of the body-part words from Britain's old gay slang, the kind of term you'd drop to talk shop in public without the wrong people following. Heritage slang now, kept alive by drag and queer-history nerds rather than daily use.
By extension, to be on one's feet or walking, as in tired lallies after trolling all night.
Used admiringly of a shapely or notable pair of legs, often in appraisal of an attractive person.
In Polari, the legs; the singular 'lally' is one leg. The origin is uncertain, possibly from a nursery or dialect word.
Lallies In A Sentence
Origin & Usage
Polari of mid-20th-century Britain; 'lally/lallies' for legs is of uncertain origin, possibly nursery or dialectal, and is catalogued in Paul Baker's Polari glossaries.
People Also Ask
What does lallies mean?
It is Polari for legs; a single leg is a 'lally'.
Where does lallies come from?
The origin is uncertain — possibly a nursery or dialect word — and is not firmly documented.
How was lallies used?
Often admiringly, as in 'vada the lallies on that one', praising someone's legs.
Comments 0