Dolly

Origin of: Dolly

Dolly

A dolly is a very easy catch in cricket and dates from the late 19th century, usually used when such a catch is dropped e.g., “the fielder has dropped an absolute dolly”. A little earlier, in the mid-19th century, dolly meant babyish, deriving from doll or doll-like, hence a dolly is a catch that a baby could take. Dolly is also applied to anything small or doll-like e.g. a small trolley on small wheels to move something heavy, particularly heavy film cameras. This latter usage dates from the early 1900s. By sheer coincidence, Dolly was also the nickname for the South African born English Test Cricketer Basil d’Oliveira, deriving from his surname.