• OLE
adj. old …Bk1942 Amer. sl.
• OLEAGINITY
n. oily nature ..1657 obs.
• OLEAGINOSITY
n. oily nature …1694
• OLEAGINOUS
adj. 1. containing oil or an oily substance; oily, fatty, greasy …1634
adj. 2. ‘smooth’ in behaviour or in speech; subservient, compliant,; bland, soothing, insinuating, fawning …1859
• OLEAGINY
n. oily nature …1678 obs.
• OLEATED
adj. oiled …1661 obs. rare
• OLEFACTIBLE
adj. that may be smelled …c1705
• OLE-FAY
n. 1. a Caucasian …E20 African-American usage, derogatory
n. 2. a Black person who acts like a Caucasian …E20 African-American usage, derogatory
• OLE GIRL
n. 1. any woman, usually old but not necessarily so …L18 sl.
n. 2. a general term of address to a woman or female dog or horse …M19 sl.
n. 3. one’s wife or regular female companion …M19 sl.
n. 4. one’s mother …L19 sl.
n. 5. a non-human object …1910s US sl.
n. 6. a mother-in-law …1940s sl.
n. 7. a college boy’s roommate …1940s African-American students’ sl.
• OLEITY
n. the time of gathering olives, or the olives when they are gathered to make oil; also, oiliness …1656 obs. rare
• OLE MAL
n. a term of address to an old man …c1925 Aust. sl.
• OLE-MAS
n. a shambles, chaos, confusion …20C W. Indies sl.
• OLEN
n. a red deer, a stag …1591 obs.
• OLENT
adj. 1607 obs. rare – smelling, giving out a smell or scent
• OLEO
n. oleomargarine, margarine …1884
• OLEOSE
adj. of the nature of oil; containing oil; oily …1675 rare
• OLEOSITY
n. oily quality or consistency; oiliness …1610 now rare or obs.
• OLEOUS
adj. of the nature of oil; containing oil; oily …1601 now rare or obs.
• OLERACEOUS
adj. of the nature of a pot-herb (herb grown for cookery) or vegetable used in cookery; obtained from a pot-herb …a1682
• OLERICULTURE
n. the cultivation of pot-herbs or other esculent vegetables …1888 rare
• OLF
n. a finch …1882 Eng. dial.
• OLFACIENT
n. something that affects the sense of smell …1822-34 rare
• OLFACT
n. 1657 – the organ or sense of smell → obs.
vb. 1805 – to detect the odour or scent of → obs.
• OLFACTIBLE
adj. that may be smelled …c1705
• OLFACTION
n. the act of smelling or the sense of smell …a1846
• OLFACTIVE
adj. pert. to the sense of smell …1654
• OLFACTOR
n. he or that which smells …1829 rare
• OLFACTORY
adj. pert. to the sense of smell; connected or concerned with smelling …1658
n. 1. anything to smell; a posy or nosegay …1656 obs. rare
n. 2. the power of smelling …1775 obs. rare
n. 3. an organ of smelling …1823
• OLFEND
n. a camel …971 obs.
• OLG
n. an oppressive heat; warm vapour rising from the ground …1908 Sc. obs.
vb. to decay, to grow slimy and smelly …1908 Sc. obs.
• OLID
adj. having a strong disagreeable smell; fetid, rank …1680
• OLIDOUS
adj. having a strong, disagreeable smell; fetid, rank, stinking …1646 obs. rare
• OLIFANT
n. an elephant …a1300 arch.
• OLIFAUNT
n. an elephant …a1300 arch.
• OLIGARCH
n. a member of an oligarchy (government by the few); one of a few holding power in a state …a1610
• OLIGARCHAL
adj. pert to an oligarchy; carried on, administered or governed by an oligarchy; supporting or advocating oligarchy …1787
• OLIGARCHIC
adj. pert to an oligarchy; carried on, administered or governed by an oligarchy; supporting or advocating oligarchy …a1649
• OLIGARCHICAL
adj. pert to an oligarchy; carried on, administered or governed by an oligarchy; supporting or advocating oligarchy …1586
• OLIGARCHICALLY
adv. in an oligarchical manner …1850
• OLIGARCHISM
n. oligarchy as a principle or system …1866
• OLIGARCHIST
n. an advocate or supporter of oligarchy (government by the few) …1659 rare
• OLIGARCHIZE
vb. to convert into an oligarchy; to subject to an oligarchy …1850
• OLIGARCHY
n. government by the few; a form of government in which the power is confined to a few persons or families; also, the body of persons composing such a government …1577
• OLIGHT
adj. active, energetic, nimble …1721 Sc. obs.
• OLIGOGLOTTISM
n. slight knowledge of languages …Bk1909
• OLIGOSYLLABLE
n. a word of less than four syllables …1830
• OLIO
n. 1. any mixture of heterogeneous things or elements; a hotchpotch, farrago, medley …1648
n. 2. a collection of various artistic or literary pieces, as engravings, verses, etc; a miscellany; a musical medley …1655
• OLIPHANT
n. an elephant …a1300 arch.
• OLIPRANCE
n. 1. ?pride, vanity, ostentation; in later use, ?splendour, merry-making, jollity …1303 obs.
n. 2. rude, boisterous merriment; a romp …c1700 Eng. dial.
• OLITE
adj. 1. active, energetic, nimble …1721 Sc. obs.
adj. 2. eager, ready, willing, cheerful, sprightly …1825 Sc. obs.
• OLITORY
adj. pert. to pot-herbs or kitchen vegetables, or to the kitchen garden …1658 rare
n. 1. a pot-herb. a culinary vegetable …1696 obs.
n. 2. a kitchen-garden (herbs) …1706 obs.
• OLIVACEOUS
adj. of a dusky green colour with a touch of yellow, like the unripe olive; olive-green, olive …1776
• OLIVART
adj. of olive complexion …1885 rare
• OLIVASTER
adj. olive-coloured; having an olive complexion …1626 obs.
• OLIVE
n. 1. a woman or girl of olive complexion …1713
n. 2. a child …1803
• OLIVE-BRANCHES
n. children …1677 now humorous usage
• OLIVED
adj. active, lively, energetic; the reverse of lazy …1892 Ireland
• OLIVENESS
n. the quality of being an olive colour …a1800 rare
• OLIVE OIL!
int. Au revoir! …1884 sl., orig. music-halls’ usage
• OLIVE OYL
n. a very thin woman …1970 Amer. dial.
• OLIVE-PLANTS
n. children …1616
• OLIVER
n. 1. an olive tree …a1300 obs.
n. 2. the moon …1753 criminals’ sl.
n. 3. a small eel …1879 Eng. dial.
n. 4. the wrist …L19 Aust. rhyming sl. (Oliver Twist)
n. 5. the nose …L19 US sl.
n. 6. a fist …1909 rhyming sl. (Oliver Twist)
n. 7. a deliberately incorrect entry in a ledger …1930s rhyming sl. (Oliver Twist – use of the fist to write)
vb. to understand …L19 rhyming sl. for ‘tumble’ (‘Oliver Cromwell)
• OLIVER BLABS
phr. the moon shines bright …1841 criminals’ sl. obs.
• OLIVER CROMWELL
vb. to understand …20C rhyming sl. for ‘tumble’
• OLIVER DON’T WIDDLE
phr. the moon does not shine …1782 criminals’ sl.
• OLIVER IS IN TOWN
phr. the nights are moonlit …1812 criminals’ sl.
• OLIVER IS SLEEPY TONIGHT
phr. the moon does not shine …1857 criminals’ sl.
• OLIVER IS UP
phr. the moon has risen …1812 criminals’ sl.
• OLIVER PUTS HIS BLACK NIGHT-CAP ON
phr. the moon hides behind clouds …1834 cant
• OLIVER REED
n. amphetamine …1980s rhyming sl. for ‘speed’
• OLIVERS
n. stockings …1887 tramps’ sl.
• OLIVER SHOWS
phr. the moon shines …1753 criminals’ sl.
• OLIVER SNEAKS
phr. the moon is under a cloud …1797 criminals’ sl.
• OLIVER’S NIGHT-CAP
n. the hour the moon goes down …1848 US criminals’ sl.
• OLIVER’S SKULL
n. a chamber pot …c1690 sl.
• OLIVER’S SUMMONS
n. 19C Irish sl. – an idle person who is forced to work for lack of any alternative means of making money
• OLIVER TWIST
adj. 1990s rhyming sl. for ‘pissed’ – drunk
n. 1. c1865 rhyming sl. – a fist
n. 2. L19 Aust. rhyming sl. – the wrist
n. 3. 1930s rhyming sl. (use of the fist to write) – a deliberately incorrect entry in a ledger
• OLIVER WHIDDLES
phr. 1781 criminals’ sl. – the moon shines
• OLIVET
n. 1382 obs. – a place in which olive trees are grown; an olive grove
• OLIVIFEROUS
adj. 1656 rare – olive-bearing
• OLIVITY
n. 1656 obs. rare – the time of gathering olives, or making oil
• OLLAPOD
n. 1. 1804 – a hotchpotch; a medley; an incongruous mixture; a mixture of languages
n. 2. c1805 colloq. – an apothecary
• OLLAPODISM
n. 1837 nonce word – a sentence made up of various languages
• OLLA PODRIDA
n. a1634 – a hotchpotch, a medley; a mixture of languages
• OLLAPODRIDA-ISH
adj. 1827 – heterogeneous, diverse in character or content
• OLLAPODRIDICAL
adj. 1830 – heterogeneous, diverse in character or content
• OLLARDS
n. 1669 Eng. dial. – decayed branches of trees or small pieces of wood used as fuel for warming furnaces, etc; fuel
• OLLE
vb. a1400-50 obs. rare – ? to pour scorn or contempt on
• OLLEN
n. 1591 obs. – a red deer, a stag
• OLLET
n. 1669 Eng. dial. – decayed branches of trees or small pieces of wood used as fuel for warming furnaces, etc; fuel
• OLLI COMPOLLI
n. L17 UK criminals’ sl. – ‘the name of one of the principle rogues of the canting crew’
• ŐLLIE
adj. 1898 Sc.– oily, greasy
n. 1787 Sc. – oil
• OLLIE
n. 1979 Aust. sl. – in skateboarding and snowboarding: a manoeuvre in which one drives the board up into the air off a flat surface without holding the board, often in order to perform a jump over an obstacle
• OLLIE BEAK
n. 1990s rhyming sl. – a Sikh
• ŐLLIE-COLLIE
n. 1892 Sc. – an oil lamp
• OLLIES
n. 1970s sl. – testicles
• OLLY
n. 1. 1960s sl. – marijuana
n. 2. 1980s rhyming sl. on Oliver Reed for ‘weed’– amphetamine
• OLOGICAL
adj. 1890 nonce word – pert. to or versed in the ‘ologies’
• OLOGIST
n. 1839 – a student or professor of an ‘ology’
• OLOGISTIC
adj. a1861 nonce word – pert. to or versed in the ‘ologies’
• OLOGY
n. 1811 – any of the various sciences or departments of science
• OLUHNEN
vb. a1225 obs. – to flatter
• OLUHNINGE
n. a1225 obs. – flattering, flattery
• OLYMPIC POOL
n. 1950s Aust. sl. – an outdoor cinema
• OLYMPIONICEST
n. a1656 obs. – a victor in the Olympic games
• OLY-PRANCE
n. 1790 Eng. dial. – a merrymaking; rough boisterous merriment; a romping match
• OLY-PRANCING
adj. 1790 Eng. dial. – boisterously merry
Back to INDEX O
Back to DICTIONARY
Updated: March 1, 2023
Lexicophilia 