Sc. Now rare. Also 6–8 gelly. [Origin unknown: the sense agrees fairly with some of the uses of JOLLY; but the phonetic change which this would involve has no parallel.] Good, worthy, excellent; having a high opinion of oneself, proud, haughty.
c. 1560–73. [see GELLY].
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., I. 7. The woddes selfes … are verie jocund and jellie, and gif we myt speik it, in a maner peirles in pleisour.
1638. A. Cant, Serm., in Kerr, Covenants & Covenanters (1895), 103. Numbers mocked, and thought themselves over jelly to come in.
a. 1758. Ramsay, To Hamilton, iii. A jelly sum to carry on A fishery’s designed.
1787. Shirrefs, Jamie & Bess, I. i. The Provost o’ the Town, A jelly man, well worthy of a crown.
1828. Courteous Knt., in Whitelaw, Bk. Sc. Ballads (1875), 163. ‘Leave off your pride jelly Janet,’ he said. ‘Use it not ony mair.’
1871. W. Alexander, Johnny Gibb, xl. (1873), 226. An aunt o’ the bride’s was there to welcome the fowk; a richt jellie wife in a close mutch.
Hence Jellily adv., worthily, excellently.
18[?]. Bonny Bee-ho’m, in Jamieson’s Popular Ball. (1806), I. 189. And jellily dance the damsels, Blythe-blinkin’ in your ee.
