noun
googly
GGLEE
noun
1
In cricket, a deceptive delivery bowled by a leg-spin bowler that spins the opposite way to what the batsman expects.
"The bowler caught him out with a perfectly disguised googly."
adj
1
Wide-eyed or bulging, often describing eyes.
"The cartoon character had big, googly eyes."
How to Use Googly
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA trick cricket delivery, or a way of describing big, bulging eyes (as in "googly eyes").
Common pairings
googly eyes
bowl a googly
Word Forms
googlier comparative, googlies plural, googliest superlative
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Etymology
Origin uncertain; possibly linked to "googie," an old slang term for an egg, referencing the ball's unexpected bounce. Popularized by cricketer Bernard Bosanquet around 1900.