roly-poly

American  

[roh-lee-poh-lee, -poh-lee] / ˈroʊ liˈpoʊ li, -ˌpoʊ li /

adjective

1. short and plumply round, as a person or a young animal.

   Synonyms:

   pudgy, rotund, fat

   Antonyms:

   scrawny

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noun

plural

roly-polies

1. a roly-poly person or thing.

2. Chiefly British. a sheet of biscuit dough spread with jam, fruit, or the like, rolled up and steamed or baked.

roly-poly British  

/ ˈrəʊlɪˈpəʊlɪ /

adjective

1. plump, buxom, or rotund

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noun

1. a strip of suet pastry spread with jam, fruit, or a savoury mixture, rolled up, and baked or steamed as a pudding

2. a plump, buxom, or rotund person

3. an informal name for tumbleweed

Etymology

Origin of roly-poly

1595–1605; earlier rowle powle, rowly-powly worthless fellow, game involving rolling balls, rhyming compound based on roll (v.); for second element poll ¹

Example Sentences

Wade’s gurgling pompadour matches well with his roly-poly physique and go-with-the-flow personality.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2023

They tend to enjoy a three-course meal at night with a starter of minestrone soup, a pasta or rice dish for main and apple crumble or jam roly-poly to finish.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2023

David Byrne applies his quizzical-observer perspective in “The Fat Man’s Comin’,” a brief, brawny and elaborately arranged chamber-pop bolero about “a roly-poly man in the dark, he’s riding.”

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2022

A potbellied, roly-poly teddy bear, grown to gargantuan size, is equal parts fierce and lovable.

From Washington Post • Nov. 24, 2022

Daddy would point out the moths, carpenter ants, and roly-poly bugs beneath the bark of dead logs.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson