silly-billy

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   informal, especially British: a silly or foolish person, used as a mild or affectionate teasing expression

   Don't be a silly-billy; the switch is right beside you.

2. 2
   adj

   informal: charmingly, harmlessly, or childishly silly

   The children laughed at his silly-billy dance.

A rhyming phrase formed from silly + Billy, the familiar form of William, and often associated with the nickname "Silly Billy" for William IV. It became a mild, frequently affectionate label for a foolish person; the lowercase adjective developed from the noun phrase.

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