welly

[ wel-ee ]

noun

, Chiefly British Informal.

, plural wel·lies.

1. Usually wellies. Wellington boot.

welly

/ ˈwɛlɪ /

noun

1. informal.
   Also calledwelly boot -lies a Wellington boot
2. slang.
   energy, concentration, or commitment (esp in the phrase give it some welly )

Word History and Origins

Origin of welly¹

First recorded in 1960–65; Well(ington boot) ( def ) + -y ²( def )

Example Sentences

Wellington, the world’s southernmost capital city, is also the world’s windiest city, by average windspeed, hence its nickname, Windy Welly.

From Los Angeles Times

Reece said: "Me being me and me being Scottish I am giving it welly every episode, every task, and I feel like if I was to do it again I would have stood back and let other people run."

From BBC

David Welly Sombra Rodrigues, a 35-year-old French teacher, loves to travel.

From New York Times

Written by poet George McEwan while working in a lemonade factory, The Welly Boot Song became Billy Connolly's theme song in the early 1970s.

From BBC

The Welly Boot Song was something we used to sing on the drive home amongst the hymns and other things.

From BBC