Peely-wally / adjective / pee·ly wall·y

The word peely-wally is an adjective used to describe something or someone as pale, off-color, or even ill-looking. In some cases, the adjective peely-wally is meant to describe someone resembling a “creepy” clown toy from the early 1900s.

In a Sentence

The clown toy was very peely-wally, and I didn't want to play with it because of its odd-looking color and creepy-looking eyes that glowed in the dark.

I can't believe my little brother got another peely-wally-looking action figure for his last birthday!

The girl saw a creepy-looking peely-wally at the carnival and begged her parents to take her home so she would never have to see it again.

Etymology

Etymologists say that the etymology of the word "peely-wally" is largely unknown. However, they speculate one potential source for the term "peely-wally" could be a clown toy that resembled an elephant or donkey, which were both called peely-wallies in the early 1900s. Historians also say the term may have originated as an adjective to describe pale or off-color objects.

Synonyms

Pale, Clownish

Antonyms

Vivid, Serious