subs. (common).—A boon companion.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v. JOLLY-DOG, a merry or facetious fellow; a bon vivant, who never flinches from his glass, nor cries to go home to bed.
1811. GROSE and CLARKE, Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
c. 1867. Broadside Ballad, ‘Slap Bang.’ There is a set of JOLLY DOGS I’ve lately come across.
1880. Punch’s Almanack, 13.
