sally

plural sallies · alternative obsolete salley

1. A willow.
2. Any tree that resembles a willow.
3. An object made from the wood of a willow.

plural sallies · alternative obsolete salley

1. A sortie of troops from a besieged place against an enemy.

   The besieged made another Sally, and killed several of the Enemy at Penyburn-Hill, but were forced to Retreat, being pressed by the Enemies Horse, who charged us on all sides.

   1689, George Walker, A true account of the siege of London-Derry by the Reverend Mr. George Walker, London, page 24

   1 more example

   The rest of his horsemen the Duke sent to his campe, bicause they heard a great noise there, and doubted the enimies sally, and indeede they had issued foorth thrise, but were alwaies repulsed, especially through the valiantns of the English men that the Duke left there behind him [...]

   1596, Philippe de Commynes, The historie of Philip de Commines Knight, Lord of Argenton, London: Ar. Hatfield, pages 50-51

2. A sudden rushing forth.

   Flocks of these birds stir up flying insects, which can then be picked off in quick sallies.

3. figurativelyA witty statement or quip, usually at the expense of one's interlocutor.

   Bull snuffed; he never paid any attention to her sallies but he heard them.

   1957 September 5, Jack Kerouac, On the Road, New York, N.Y.: Viking Press, →OCLC

   2 more examples

   Till then she had never formed an idea of one so gifted and so charming. She listened with astonishment to her companion's gay sallies, and answers, as piquant as they were ready.

   1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The First Doubt”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 39

   The stakes are low and the story beats are incidental amid the rush of largely mild visual gags and verbal sallies like “Blood Island! So called because it’s the exact shape of some blood!”

   2012 April 26, Tasha Robinson, “Film: Reviews: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 28 May 2013

4. An excursion or side trip.

   Everyone shall know a country better that makes often sallies into it, and traverses it up and down, than he that […] goes still round in the same track.

   a. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, →OCLC

5. A tufted woollen part of a bellrope, used to provide grip when ringing a bell.

present singular third person sallies · participle present sallying · participle past sallied · past sallied · alternative obsolete salley

1. intransitiveTo make a sudden attack (e.g. on an enemy from a defended position).

   The troops sallied in desperation.

   1 more example

   A feeding strategy of some birds is to sally out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch.

2. intransitiveTo set out on an excursion; venture; depart (often followed by "forth").

   Where else but from Nantucket did those aboriginal whalemen, the Red-Men, first sally out in canoes to give chase to the Leviathan?

   1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “chapter 2”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC

   3 more examples

   So I tucked my violin under my arm, and sallied out after the old budgy ragman, determined to ease him of his load at the very first lonesome corner I could track him to.

   1876, The Shamrock, volume 14

   Adverse comment begins with uncomplimentary observations on the somewhat harder seats, then reaches a crescendo when it is discovered that the perverse and unhurried train is actually going to wait for another connection which is running late, instead of sallying forth at once for the benefit of those already on board and leaving latecomers stranded.

   1942 July-August, “The Country Branch”, in Railway Magazine, page 194

   Along the Manchurian frontier was a 160km strip of land the US pilots dubbed 'MiG Alley'. Beyond it lay the North Korean, Chinese and Russian squadrons. From those airbases, MiGs sallied forth to attack the bombers striking North Korea.

   2007 September 30, Andrew Salmon, “Dogfights and daring in Korea's deep blue yonder”, in South China Morning Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 03 Mar 2024, Latest

3. intransitiveTo venture off the beaten path.

plural sallies · alternative obsolete salley

1. New ZealandslangA member of the Salvation Army.

   Synonyms: Salvo

plural sallies · alternative obsolete salley

1. A kind of stonefly.
2. A wren.

alternative obsolete salley

1. CanadaUSslangdrugsThe crystalline or powdered form of MDA.

plural Sallys · plural Sallies · alternative Sallie

1. A diminutive of the female given name Sarah, also used as a formal given name.

   She submitted―for what alternative did she have?―to being Sally in this family, but she always signed herself, Sarah.

   1969, Doris Lessing, The Four-Gated City, Bantam Books, published 1970, page 114

   1 more example

   Maybe her first name was Sally, but David thought he would have remembered a name like that; there were so few Sallys these days. Now the world belonged to Ambers, Ashleys, and Tiffanys.

   2008, Stephen King, Just After Sunset, Simon and Schuster, published 2009, →ISBN, page 8

2. UKslangA nickname for the Salvation Army.

alternative Sallie

1. CanadaUSslangdrugsAlternative letter-case form of sally: the crystalline or powdered form of MDA.