nice nelly

¹

or nice Nelly

[ nel-ee ]

noun

1. a person who professes or exhibits excessive modesty, prudishness, or the like:

   too much of a nice nelly to have any fun.

2. nice-nellyism ( def 2 ).

nice-nelly

²

or nice-Nel·ly

[ nahys-nel-ee ]

adjective

1. characterized by prudishness or excessive modesty:

   The entrance of his nice-nelly friend stopped the flow of risqué stories.

2. being a euphemism; euphemistic:

   nice-nelly expressions.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nice nelly¹

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25