colly

American  

[kol-ee] / ˈkɒl i /

verb (used with object)

collied, collying

1. to blacken as with coal dust; begrime.

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noun

1. grime; soot.

colly British  

/ ˈkɒlɪ /

noun

1. soot or grime, such as coal dust

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verb

1. (tr) to begrime; besmirch

Etymology

Origin of colly

1555–65; variant of collow (v.), Middle English colwen, derivative of Old English col coal; see -y ¹

Example Sentences

“To think, all this time I’ve argued with my family that the correct word should be colly, and I wasn’t even pronouncing it properly!” he wrote.

From Washington Post • Dec. 21, 2016

The debate raises the question: If colly was the original term, and if it referred to coal, shouldn’t the song be sung, “four coally birds?”

From Washington Post • Dec. 21, 2016

“As colly passed out of common usage among English-language speakers, it’s no surprise that Austin’s similar-sounding alternative calling became more popular,” he wrote.

From Washington Post • Dec. 21, 2016

It is accepted that the original gift was actually four colly birds, meaning birds that were black.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2013

The fifth day of Christmas, My true love sent to me Five gold rings, Four colly birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, and A partridge in a pear tree.

From The Nursery Rhymes of England by Various