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

Odder still is the fact that its teddy bear arms are wrapped tightly around a roly-poly furball who squirms and makes noises—announcing to the world that he isn’t stuffed with fluff.

From Literature

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

From Literature

“It was a strange-looking car with a roly-poly exterior, but it had a lot of space inside and there was nothing in South Korea that could compete with it in its segment,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

"We had tapioca, semolina, treacle sponge pudding, as well as jam roly-poly, cake with icing and sprinkles, chocolate cake and pink custard, and more."

From BBC

“Dumplings, yumplings, roly-poly dumplings! Eat you, eat you, we will eat you UP!”

From Literature