peeny-wally
(ˈpiːniːwɔːlɪ)
Also peeni(e)wally, peeny(-wauly).
[Etym. uncertain; perh. peely-wally infl. by Jamaican dial. peeny small (see also E.D.D.).]
A Jamaican name for a firefly, esp. the largest of those found on the island, Pyrophorus plagiophthalmus.
| 1907 W. Jekyll Jamaican Song & Story ii. 184 ‘Peeny’ is the Candlefly, which shines like my donkey's coat. 1961 F. G. Cassidy Jamaica Talk xiii. 292 The big one [sc. firefly] is also peeny or peeny-wauly, an unexplained word, though wauly may refer to its shining ‘eyes’. 1962 S. Wynter Hills of Hebron i. 23 When the rains stopped, the ‘peeniwallies’, hundreds of them, fluttered transparent wings against the lamp. 1971 Islander (Victoria, B.C.) 17 Jan. 2/3 These fireflies are affectionately called ‘peenie⁓wallies’ by the islanders [sc. Jamaicans]. |