googly

plural googlies

1. ball gamesA ball, bowled by a leg-break bowler, that spins from off to leg (to a right-handed batsman), unlike a normal leg-break delivery.

   His weakness in batting is against googly.

   3 more examples

   He bowled a googly that sparked a shout for LBW.

   To go the whole round of bowlers before, again putting, on either Copplestone or B. Goodwin was a mistake, I thought, and equally so were Molyneau's repeated attempts at bowling slow "googlies."

   1896 November 28, The Independent, Foostcray, Vic, page 3, column 3

   Pelham Warner says Bosanquet is really invaluable. He can bowl as badly as anyone in the world, but when he gets a length those slow googlies, as the Australian players call them, are apt to paralyse the greatest players.

   1904 March 9, The Otago Witness, Otago, page 52

   Synonyms: bosie, bosey, wrong 'un

comparative googlier · superlative googliest

1. Bulging.

   “A shtinker,” the bug-eyed man said more loudly. […]“B'seder, fine, a shtinker rabbi,” the googly-eyed man amended, rubbing his lower gut. “But can’t you tell he’s an informer?”

   2013, Ruchama King Feuerman, In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist, page 208

2. sometimesusuallyAppearing to be amorous, flirtatious.

   “Attractive enough? You should see how the mothers here act around him.” She sighed. “Everyone goes all googly when he’s around.”

   2012, Elizabeth Harbison, Drive Me Wild, Harlequin

   1 more example

   ‘Torture my foot! You think it’s torture for a man to ask his wife for attention? God save me from stupid women!’ – my father limped downstairs to make googly eyes at Colaba girls.

   1981, Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children, page 131