I. noun
also ro·ley-po·ley ˈrōlēˈpōlē
( plural roly-polys or roly-polies )
Etymology: reduplication of roly, roley, from roll (II) + -y
1. : any of various games in which a ball is rolled or thrown into holes, hats, or circles or at pins
2. : a dessert made of rolled-out dough spread with a filling, rolled up into a cylinder shape, and baked or steamed
3. : an Australian tumbleweed ( Bassia muricata ) that resembles the rose of Jericho
4.
a. : a roly-poly person or thing
b. : a toy usually made to resemble a person and so formed and weighted as to rock when touched and return to an erect position — called also tumbler
II. | ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ adjective
: short and pudgy in stature : rotund
she was so round and roly-poly I used to wonder how she ever moved fast enough to catch hold of a bird — Astrid Peters