ROLY-POLY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does roly-poly mean? 

• ROLY-POLY (noun)
  The noun ROLY-POLY has 2 senses:

1. a rotund individual

2. pudding made of suet pastry spread with jam or fruit and rolled up and baked or steamed

  Familiarity information: ROLY-POLY used as a noun is rare.

• ROLY-POLY (adjective)
  The adjective ROLY-POLY has 1 sense:

1. short and plump

  Familiarity information: ROLY-POLY used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ROLY-POLY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A rotund individual

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

butterball; fat person; fatso; fatty; roly-poly

Hypernyms ("roly-poly" is a kind of...):

large person (a person of greater than average size)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Pudding made of suet pastry spread with jam or fruit and rolled up and baked or steamed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

roly-poly; roly-poly pudding

Hypernyms ("roly-poly" is a kind of...):

pudding (any of various soft sweet desserts thickened usually with flour and baked or boiled or steamed)

Domain region:

Britain; Great Britain; U.K.; UK; United Kingdom; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

• ROLY-POLY (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Short and plump

Synonyms:

dumpy; podgy; pudgy; roly-poly; tubby

Similar:

fat (having an (over)abundance of flesh)

Derivation:

rolypoliness (the property of having a plump and round body)

 Context examples 

“He’s got the roly-polies,” cried Belcher.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

In a tight sky-blue suit that made his arms and legs like German sausages, or roly-poly puddings, he was the merriest and most miserable of all the boys.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)