1. Soot; smut.
1708–15. Kersey, Colly, the Black that sticks on the outside of a Pot, or Kettle. Colly, to dawb with Colly, to smut.
1825. Britton, Beauties Wiltsh., Gloss., Colley, the soot from a kettle.
1880. Antrim & Down Gloss., Colley, smuts.
2. The Blackbird. dial. [In this sense prob. the adj. used subst.: cf. the Sc. name ‘the Blackie.’]
c. 1805. A. Young, Ann. Agric., XXX. 314 (Somerset) Colley, a blackbird.
1888. Elworthy, W. Somerset Word-bk., Colly, the blackbird. Ibid., Water-colly, the water ouzel.
3. Comb., as colly-brand, -coal, -stick (see quots.).
a. 1825. Forby, Voc. E. Anglia, Collar-coal, black smut from the chimney or bars. We distinctly pronounce it thus.
1840. Spurdens, Suppl., Colly-coal, this spelling is nearer to the pronunciation than collar, in Forby.
1880. W. Cornw. Gloss., Colley-brands, summer lightning.
1880. E. Cornw. Gloss., Collybrand, smut in corn.
1881. Leicestersh. Gloss., Colly-stick, a stick used for lighting a pipe, &c., one end being thrust into the fire.
