nellie

plural nellies

1. IrelandabbreviationclippingClipping of high nellie, a type of roadster bicycle.

   CHORUS:Be the holy man above tonight did ye ever see the likes. Sally Doran sitting there upon her great big nellie bike. It was at twelve o'clock at night, I got an awful fright. But it was only Sally Doran on her great big nellie bike.

   2009 March 20, “Sally Doran's Nellie Bike” (track 12), in The Mobile Phone, performed by Richie Kavanagh

2. alternativeAlternative form of nelly (“effeminate man”).

alternative Nell · alternative Nelly

1. A diminutive of the female given names Eleanor, Ellen, Helen, and Chanel; popular as a formal given name at the turn of the 20th century.

   "Eleanor, that's kind of an old lady name. I like Nellie better. Nellie Kincaid, that's got a nice ring to it. It sounds like you're a singer or something.

   2007, Rachel M. Harper, Brass Ankle Blues, Simon&Schuster, →ISBN, page 88

   1 more example

   "Then we will call her Matilda," said he, "as it is a maxim of mine never to spoil children by giving them pet names." "But you call your daughter Nellie," suggested the little widow, and in her soft, blue eye there shone a mischievous twinkle, as if she fancied she had beaten him in his own argument. - - - "That is sister Kelsey's idea, and as she is very fond of Nellie I do not interfere.

   1860, Mary Jane Holmes, Cousin Maude, BiblioBazaar,LLC, published 2007, →ISBN, page 14

2. rareA diminutive of the female given name Chanel.
3. rareA diminutive of the male given name Nelson.