Meanings
plural Dolly Vardens
- A large hat, one side bent downwards, abundantly trimmed with flowers.
- abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of Dolly Varden crab.
- abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of Dolly Varden trout.
Dolly Varden is the staple catch. To a point that, after two days, we find ourselves feeling guilty trying to shake them free from our fly or giving plenty of slack in the hope that another Dolly finds early freedom. […] Often the biggest challenge of hooking a big trout is avoiding Dollies.
2017 November–December, Dean Oelschig, “Kamchatka: 61 Hours from Jo'burg”, in The Mission: The Cult of Fly Fishing, number 6, pages 54–55
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
After a lively, coquettish character in Charles Dickens' novel Barnaby Rudge.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Dolly Varden. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dolly%20Varden
“Dolly Varden.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dolly%20Varden. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Dolly Varden,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dolly%20Varden.
Source: Dolly Varden on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.