What it means
Doolally means properly off your rocker, muddled, or chatting pure nonsense, usually in a teasing, not nasty, way. It’s a classic British word for when someone’s acting a bit cracked or has plainly lost the plot for a minute. You’d use it for harmless daftness, not for anything serious.
Usage examples
"Mum’s gone doolally, I reckon. She’s labelled every tin in the cupboard, then told the neighbours the cat’s training for the marathon."
"Gone a bit doolally in lockdown, I started naming the pigeons on my balcony and chatting to them daily."
"She'll go doolally if she sees the state of this kitchen, so give us a hand tidying before she's back."
"You’re absolutely doolally if you think I’m queueing an hour for a sad little burger."
"Grandad’s gone a bit doolally since he got that Alexa, keeps thanking it like it’s his lodger."
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Where it comes from
It comes from doolally tap, old British army slang tied to Deolali in India, a transit camp where soldiers could get stuck for ages waiting to ship home. That endless limbo, plus the heat and strain, helped the phrase mean someone’s gone a bit barmy, then it got trimmed down to just doolally.
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