holly berry

plural holly berries · alternative holly-berry · alternative hollyberry

1. A red berry (botanically a drupe) borne on hollies.

   Grubs, worms, and snails compose the chief food of these birds, though they are sometimes glad of holly berries and mistletoe.

   [1864], “The Thrush”, in Illustrated Sketches of Natural History; Consisting of Descriptions and Engravings of Animals, 1st series, London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; […], →OCLC, page 163

   2 more examples

   Squeaking with delight they ran along the pier in front of him, the little girls’ tam-o’-shanters alight like holly berries and Colin’s substantial boots going clip-clop like the hooves of an impatient pony.

   1934, Elizabeth Goudge, chapter VI, in Island Magic, London: Hodder and Stoughton, published March 1949 (2nd impression), →OCLC, section II, page 196

   When Wendy leaped into the roil of elves that swarmed the sleigh, Santa lifted his radiant stepchild out of the turmoil—as though he plucked a holly berry from a cluster of leaves—and squeezed her tight.

   1998, Robert Devereaux, “Blood and Passion”, in Santa Steps Out: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups, New York, N.Y.: Leisure Books, published October 2000, →ISBN, pages 246–247