Meaning & use
jollying
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“jollying” is a form of “jolly”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveinformalBritish
Persuading someone in a cheerful, friendly way to do something they are not eager to do.
Grammar: Takes an object: jollying someone along. Often followed by 'along' or 'into': jollying him into helping.
Patterns
- jolly someone along
- jolly someone into doing something
She kept jollying the tired children along until they reached the top of the hill.
He was jollying his brother into lending him the car for the weekend.
verbtransitiveinformalBritish
Teasing or making fun of someone in a playful, good-natured way.
Grammar: Takes an object; often used with 'about': jollying him about his new haircut.
Patterns
- jolly someone about something
They spent the afternoon jollying her about her sudden interest in opera.
Stop jollying me about my cooking — it's not that bad!
Word forms
| third person singular | jollies |
|---|---|
| past tense | jollied |
| past participle | jollied |
| -ing form | jollying |
Common combinations
- jolly someone along
- The teacher jollied the nervous student along during the oral exam.
- jolly someone into doing something
- We jollied him into singing at the party.
- jolly someone about something
- They jollied him about his new hat all morning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- coax
- Neutral and common in both British and American English; 'jolly' is more informal and often implies a cheerful, teasing tone.
- persuade
- More formal and general; it does not suggest the light-hearted, playful manner that 'jolly' does.
- tease
- Focuses on making fun of someone; 'jolly' can include teasing but also encouragement.
Word family
Commonly confused: jollying or jollying (as in 'jolly' meaning happy)?
jollying vs jollying (as in 'jolly' meaning happy)
The adjective 'jolly' means cheerful; the -ing verb form is about persuading or teasing, not simply being happy.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The verb 'jolly' takes a direct object and the particle 'along' comes after it: jolly someone along. The other options put the words in the wrong order or add an unnecessary preposition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “jollying”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.