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# wally

noun (a wally, wallies)

«wally» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (UK slang, mild) A silly or foolish person; a mild, often friendly insult. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wally/#m1)
2. (Scotland, informal) Made of china or porcelain, as in a "wally dug" (a china dog ornament) or a tiled "wally close" (entrance). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wally/#m2)
3. Wally is also a name, as in the books "Where's Wally?" (called "Where's Waldo?" in the USA and Canada). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wally/#m3)

### In the lessons

In UK playgrounds and comedy, "you wally!" is a gentle way of calling someone silly, often in fun. It is milder than words like "idiot". In the puzzle books, you search crowded pictures for Wally in his red-and-white striped jumper. Phrases: "you wally!", "a right wally", "feel like a wally".

### Examples

- Don't be a wally; put your coat on, it's freezing! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wally/#x1)
- I felt like a right wally when I fell off the stage. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wally/#x2)
- Dad, you wally, you've got your jumper on backwards! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wally/#x3)
- We spent ages trying to find Wally in the busy beach picture. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wally/#x4)
- My cousin called me a wally for losing my shoe. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wally/#x5)
- Nan has a pair of wally dugs on her mantelpiece in Glasgow. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wally/#x6)

### Note

Countable: a wally, plural wallies (y changes to ies). It is mild slang, mostly British; still, it can hurt if said unkindly, so do not use it to bully. Capital W for the name and the book character. Not the same as "wallah" or "wallaby".

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «wally» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wally/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«wally» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/wally.html) on Mova free.