The Britannica Dictionary
mobile search
Home
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
×
Britannica Homepage
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
The Britannica Dictionary
palsy–walsy
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
palsy–walsy
(adjective)
palsy–walsy
/ˌpælzi
ˈ
wælzi/
adjective
palsy–walsy
/ˌpælzi
ˈ
wælzi/
adjective
Britannica Dictionary definition of PALSY–WALSY
[
more palsy–walsy; most palsy–walsy
]
informal
:
friendly in a way that is not proper or sincere
I don't think the boss should be getting
palsy-walsy
with her employees.
[+] more examples
[-] hide examples
[+] Example sentences
[-] Hide examples
ASK THE EDITOR
Why do we say "did you know" rather than "do you know"?
See the answer »
QUIZZES
Vocabulary Quiz
Test your word power
Take the Quiz »
Name That Thing
Take our visual quiz
Test Your Knowledge »
WORD OF THE DAY
malice
:
a desire to cause harm to another person
Learn More »