cruellie, cruelly, n. colloq.
(ˈkruːəlɪ)
[f. cruel a. + -ie, -y6.]
A cruel joke, remark, comment, etc. Also attrib.
| 1959 News Chron. 6 July 3/4 The famous American ‘cruellie’ joke—example: ‘But what did you think of the play, Mrs. Lincoln?’—is on the way out. 1959 Guardian 3 Nov. 7/3 ‘Some of [the greeting cards] are cruellies... They might say on the outside {oqq}Stay the way you are{cqq}, and..on the inside..{oqq}Mean, Cruel, Thoughtless{cqq}...’ How about a real cruelly, then, with the gum flavoured with cyanide? 1961 ‘J. Ross’ Last August xiv. 168 Con fancies himself as a psychiatrist... He has the best collection of sick jokes and cruellies. |