oilyadj.adv.n.
/ˈɔɪli/, U.S. /ˈɔɪli/ A. adj.
1. Of or relating to oil; of the nature of or consisting of oil; resembling or suggestive of oil.In quot. 1720 with the sense: produced by the burning of oil.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > oiliness or greasiness > [adjective] > of the nature of oil
oleaginous?a1425
oilyc1475
oilish1547
oleous1601
oleose1675
trainy1716
oilyisha1722
c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 85v (MED) Þat wounde castiþ an oylei blody quytture þe which þereas it goiþ it makiþ þe body to roten.
1528 T. Paynell tr. Arnaldus de Villa Nova in Joannes de Mediolano Regimen Sanitatis Salerni sig. E ij Chese..made conueniently of good mylke sufficiently oyly.
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Oylye, or of oyle, oleaceus, olearis.
1615 J. Loiseau de Tourval tr. H. de Feynes Exact Surv. E. Indies 28 Being cut it expelleth a kind of fat oylie liquor.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 65 Sparkling Lamps their sputt'ring Light advance, And in the Sockets Oyly Bubbles dance. View more context for this quotation
1720 J. Gay Trivia iii, in Poems I. 189 Oily rays Shot from the crystal lamp.
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World i. 91 Our Men made some Butter also..but it grew rank and oily.
1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure I. 213 Chiming then to me, with exquisite consent, as I melted away, his oily balsamic injection mixing deliciously with the sluices in flow from me.
1807 T. Thomson Syst. Chem. (ed. 3) II. 441 Whether the oily principle in all the fixed oils is the same.
1851 H. Melville Moby-Dick lxxvii. 378 The tun of the whale contains by far the most precious of all his oily vintages.
1898 Daily News 21 Aug. 5/3 The Atbara..was flowing swift and oily, but quietly, between its banks.
a1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) I. xvi. 283 A sticky, sooty moisture saturated the air, formed a skin of oily black ooze over everything exposed to it.
1941 J. Agee & W. Evans Let us now praise Famous Men 227 The oily sliding sound as a pumpgun is broken.
1991 N. Amer. Rev. June 6/2 I found myself writing about..the dusty stones, the oily smell of sagebrush in hot sun,..the rimrock flaring red at sundown.
2. Containing or full of oil; smeared, covered, or impregnated with oil; greasy.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > extracted or refined oil > [adjective] > smeared or lubricated with oil
oily1547
well-liquoredc1555
well-oiled1614
oileda1640
oleated1661
lubricated1781
1547 R. Record Vrinal of Physick f. 35 At the beginnyng, when there is lyttle fatte molted, the vyrne is lyght oylye.
1588 T. Hariot Briefe Rep. Virginia sig. D1 The other is greater and hath a verie ragged and harde shell: but the kernell great, verie oylie and sweete.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) v. iii. 83 The ruddinesse vpon her Lippe, is wet: You'le marre it, if you kisse it; stayne your owne With Oyly Painting. View more context for this quotation
1716 J. Gay Trivia i. 14 Good houswives..underneath th'Umbrella's oily Shed, Safe thro' the wet on clinking Pattens tread.
a1756 E. Haywood New Present (1771) 256 A piece of oily flannel.
1791 E. Darwin Bot. Garden: Pt. I i. 157 The Spider-broods bathe unwet their oily forms.
1842 E. A. Poe Pit & Pendulum in Gift 1843 147 With the particles of the oily and spicy viand which now remained I thoroughly rubbed the bandage wherever I could reach it.
1879 R. Browning Ned Bratts in Idyls I. 44 He mopped his oily pate.
a1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) I. xiii. 228 Mabel Connemora noted the Tempest's..rumplings of his oily ringlets and rollings of his hollow eyes.
a1969 J. Kerouac Visions of Cody (1972) 53 He sat there with his ragged sneakers stuck in the oily yard.
1988 Holiday Which? Jan. 11/2 And you'll see hundreds of sheep: the hardy Herdwick,..whose coarse oily wool lightens with age.
3. figurative. Smooth, bland, or excessively compliant in speech or manners; so suave or charming as to be considered unctuous; insinuating, flattering, obsequious.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > flattery or flattering > [adjective]
ficklinga1240
glozing1297
blandingc1315
blandishingc1374
glaveringc1394
fleering?a1400
sleekedc1400
faginga1425
smoothc1450
flattering1484
cogging1542
flatterous1546
butterya1585
smooth-tongueda1593
oily1598
silken1598
slick-tongued1598
soothing1599
sleek1601
slick1606
blandiloquous1615
supellectile1615
colloguing1620
losengeous1632
oiled-tongued1632
daubing1655
blandiloquious1689
smooth-booted1706
palavering1764
pill-gilding1764
oily-tongued1788
buttering1789
sleeky1810
smooth-spoken1821
oleaginous1833
butteraceous1837
saponaceous1837
soft-soapy1849
soapy1854
blarneying1884
smarmy1924
sweet-talking1956
smoothie1959
smarming1970
blandiloquent-
1598 E. Guilpin Skialetheia sig. C4 An oylie slaue: he angling for repute, Will gently entertaine thee.
a1626 W. Rowley Birth of Merlin (1662) sig. B1 By smoothing flattery, or oyly words.
1641 R. Greville Disc. Nature Episcopacie i. vii. 36 Courtesies and Hopes are the most oylie Bribes.
1765 J. Duncombe Lett. Several Eminent Persons Deceased (1773) III. 149 He had a smooth oily tongue.
1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 64 Rills of oily eloquence.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary I. xi. 239 The controversy began in smooth, oily, lady-like terms, but is now waxing more sour and eager as we get on.
1860 W. Collins Woman in White (new ed.) III. 267 At such times, his oily murmur of approval, ‘Bravo! Bra-a-a-a!’ hummed through the silence, like the purring of a great cat.
1885 R. L. Stevenson & F. Stevenson Dynamiter 171 Only oily and common-place evasion.
1894 H. Nisbet Bush Girl's Romance 32 What had this oily scoundrel of a servant to do with it?
a1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) II. viii. 202 In a voice oily with the softening influence of feminine charm upon male, he said: ‘You've had experience?’
1990 Films & Filming Mar. 58/3 Richardson makes a great oily villain as the scientist who shows fake paternal concern for his subject.
literary. = oilily adv. 1. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > oiliness or greasiness > [adverb] > like oil
oily1842
oilily1863
1842 Ld. Tennyson Audley Court in Poems (new ed.) II. 46 The bay was oily-calm.
C. n.
An oilskin garment. Chiefly in plural.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > manufactured in specific way > water or wind-proofed > article of
waterproof1763
mackintosh1836
dare-all1840
mucking-togs1842
dicky1883
oilskin1884
oily1886
showerproof1887
rainproof1890
mac1901
windproof1937
rain mac1966
foulie1978
1886 Eng. Illustr. Mag. Oct. 41/1 Not that they are indifferent to enjoyment, for there is often a rush from the workshops to lodgings to exchange the ‘oilies’, waterproof skirts and sleeves, for hat and feathers.
1898 G. A. Rushton in W. A. Morgan ‘House’ on Sport I. 73 Still wind and rain the next day—but we..putting on our oilies went ashore and tramped for miles.
1933 E. A. Robertson Ordinary Families iv. 69 Soaked to the skin in spite of their oilies, Sootie and Ronald came down into the cabin.
1959 ‘A. Fraser’ High Tension x. 106 I..ran upstairs to put on a thick jersey... That and an oily would do.
1973 J. R. L. Anderson Death on Rocks vii. 127 His own oilies were in the club.
1995 Guardian 17 Nov. 20/7 I saw across the fields a motley crowd clad in oilies.
Compounds
C1. † oily-bathed adj. Obsolete† oily-shining adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1875 R. Browning Aristophanes' Apol. 131 The verse slips oily-bathed In unctuous music.
oily-brown adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > named colours > brown or brownness > [adjective] > other browns
wainscot1577
earth-coloured1722
honey-brown1774
snuff-coloured1787
snuffy1789
moorit1795
iron brown1798
umber1802
umbery1850
sienna-brown1853
oily-brown1861
seal-brown1881
tabac1881
glandaceous1885
cigar-brown1895
bead-brown1912
cocoa1942
toffee-brown1961
toffee1962
sludgy1975
1861 G. J. Whyte-Melville Market Harborough 22 A decanter of oily-brown sherry.
oily-looking adj.
ΚΠ
1838 T. Thomson Chem. Org. Bodies 334 An oily-looking body will be observed in the retort.
1935 Amer. Jrnl. Bot. 22 170 In other cases still, the highly refractive oily-looking contents of a canal are rather more diffuse.
1995 N. Hornby High Fidelity (1996) ii. 46 Coffee mugs with dog-ends floating in the cold, oily-looking dregs.
ΚΠ
1631 W. Lisle Faire Æthiopian ii. 43 Many precious stones, greene, red, and blue; And oyly-shining pearle.
oily smooth adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > state of sea > [adjective] > not rough
stillOE
plainc1330
smoothc1374
demure1377
calmc1440
softa1450
glassy1535
sleek1603
eddyless1621
oily smooth1803
waveless1804
foamless1821
undimpled1821
rippleless1832
1803 W. H. Ireland Rhapsodies 171 He had a tongue was oily smooth, But cruel was his heart.
1884 I. S. M. Hamilton Jaunt in Junk iv. 37 The oily-smooth rollers.
2000 Canberra Times (Nexis) 26 Mar. a23 The oily smooth waters of The Iron Bottom Sound.
oily-tongued adj.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > flattery or flattering > [adjective]
ficklinga1240
glozing1297
blandingc1315
blandishingc1374
glaveringc1394
fleering?a1400
sleekedc1400
faginga1425
smoothc1450
flattering1484
cogging1542
flatterous1546
butterya1585
smooth-tongueda1593
oily1598
silken1598
slick-tongued1598
soothing1599
sleek1601
slick1606
blandiloquous1615
supellectile1615
colloguing1620
losengeous1632
oiled-tongued1632
daubing1655
blandiloquious1689
smooth-booted1706
palavering1764
pill-gilding1764
oily-tongued1788
buttering1789
sleeky1810
smooth-spoken1821
oleaginous1833
butteraceous1837
saponaceous1837
soft-soapy1849
soapy1854
blarneying1884
smarmy1924
sweet-talking1956
smoothie1959
smarming1970
blandiloquent-
1788 G. Colman Ways & Means ii. 22 Now he must go abroad, too..and that other oily-tongued fellow, Mr. Scruple!
1854 C. M. Yonge Little Duke v An oily-tongued Count, who sat next the King.
1947 Mississippi Valley Hist. Rev. 34 72 Most farmers, unable to cope with the oily-tongued swindlers, turned to the state legislatures for relief.
C2. † oily corn n. Obsolete = oily-grain n.
oily acid n. a fatty acid.
ΚΠ
1838 T. Thomson Chem. Org. Bodies 805 The kinovic acid of Pelletier and Caventou has considerable analogy with the oily acids.
1932 Science 27 May 566/2 The acid of this fraction is an unsaturated acid which, on oxidation with cold 5 per cent. KMnO4, yields succinic acid and an oily acid.
1991 Guardian (Nexis) 30 Mar. A smirking culture critic was wheeled on to deconstruct this ritual with talk of certain oily acids shared by cheese, rotting bones and human sweat.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > plant, nut, or bean yielding oil > [noun] > sesame plant or seed
sesamec1440
gingellya1544
sesamum1577
sergelim1588
sesamine1607
oily corn1671
purging grain1688
oily-grain1753
vanglo1756
benne1769
sesamus1813
til1840
sim-sim1917
1671 W. Salmon Synopsis Medicinæ iii. xxii. 431 Sesamum..Oyley corn..is Emollient and helps bruises [etc.].
oily fish n. (chiefly in the context of diet and nutrition) a fish that contains a relatively high proportion of oil; spec. one whose oil is distributed throughout its body and around the gut (rather than mainly in the liver, as in the typically less oily white fish).
ΚΠ
1742 tr. H. Boerhaave Acad. Lect. Theory Physic I. §76 188 The like putrid Substance may also arise from rusty Bacon or Lard, stale Eggs, oily Fish, Etc.
1940 Brit. Red Cross Soc. Cookery & Catering Man. (ed. 4) vii. 84 Oily fish..contain 2 per cent. of oil in the flesh. They are more nourishing than white fish but much more difficult to digest.
2013 Daily Tel. 16 Sept. 10/2 Mothers who take folic acid and eat plenty of oily fish during pregnancy could have better behaved children, a study suggests.
oily-grain n. now rare the sesame plant, Sesamum indicum, or its seed.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > plant, nut, or bean yielding oil > [noun] > sesame plant or seed
sesamec1440
gingellya1544
sesamum1577
sergelim1588
sesamine1607
oily corn1671
purging grain1688
oily-grain1753
vanglo1756
benne1769
sesamus1813
til1840
sim-sim1917
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. App. Oily-grain, the name by which some call the Sessamum of botanical authors.
1863 R. Fortune Visits Japan & China xiii. 207 The natives are..planting the summer crops... These consist of soy and other beans,..hill-rice, and oily grain (Sesamum orientale).
1964 Jrnl. Negro Hist. 49 119 In consequence of this property the plant [sesame] was beginning to be called ‘oily-grain,’ and it was recurrently to become the subject of interest in America.
oily wad n. Navy slang (a) a torpedo boat burning fuel oil (now historical); (b) a seaman without a special skill, or with no ambition.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > war vessel > [noun] > torpedo boat
torpedo boat1810
torpedo-vessel1877
torpedo craft1885
torpedo destroyer1896
T.B.1897
mosquito boat1911
oily wad1925
MTB1936
PT boat1941
torpilleur1950
society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > types of sailor > [noun] > inefficient, lazy, or unseamanlike sailor
lubber1579
guinea pig1748
marine1829
soldier1840
lubbard1867
Paddy Wester1892
ullage1901
oily wad1925
1925 E. Fraser & J. Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words 213 Oily wads, a Navy nickname for a class of oil burning torpedo boat destroyers.
1929 F. C. Bowen Sea Slang 97 Oily Wads, the name occasionally applied to seamen in the Navy who do not specialise in anything, from the amount of time they have to spend cleaning brass-work with oily wads.
1931 R. Kipling Limits & Renewals (1932) 199 Some oily-wad of a Bulleana struck up about not having got his proper bird.
1961 F. H. Burgess Dict. Sailing 152 Oily wad, a seaman with no ambition.
1963 Times 13 June 17/1 His first command, which he held from May 1908, to January 1910, was torpedo boat no. 14 in the Home Fleet, one of the first oil-burning ships in the Navy, known to those serving in them as ‘oily wads’.
Derivatives
ˈoilyish adj. rare somewhat oily.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > oiliness or greasiness > [adjective] > of the nature of oil
oleaginous?a1425
oilyc1475
oilish1547
oleous1601
oleose1675
trainy1716
oilyisha1722
a1722 E. Lisle Observ. Husbandry (1752) 344 Give her a quart of cream..before it is turning to butter, viz. when it is oilyish.
1993 White Worms in rec.aquaria (Usenet newsgroup) 19 Apr. Any ideas on what the worms or the oilyish layer are would be welcome.
ˈoily-like adj. oil-like.
ΚΠ
1756 F. Home Exper. Bleaching 183 Cover all over with the oozy oily-like matter.
1873 F. Hoffmann Man. Chem. Anal. 323 When cinchonidia is the only impurity, it will appear at the line of contact as an oily-like stratum.
1999 Newcastle (Austral.) Herald (Nexis) 15 Dec. 30 A black, oily-like substance which closed part of Redhead Beach on Monday.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.adv.n.c1475