Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (prison/services/workhouse) thin, un-nourishing broth, gruel.

1812		Vaux Memoirs in McLachlan (1964) 114: Tolerable flour, of which the cook composed a certain food for breakfast, known among sailors by the name of skilligolee, being in plain English, paste.
1821–6		‘Bill Truck’ Man o’ War’s Man (1843) 52: Skillogalee – a vile oatmeal liquid in imitation of Scottish porridge.
1840		‘Queen of the Nice Little Islands’ in C. Hindley James Catnach (1878) 319: Sausages and skillygolee, / Won’t Prince Albert have a spree.
1844		Hants. Advertiser 8 June 3/5: They had skillagolee for breakfast.
1850		(con. 1843) Melville White-Jacket (1990) 133: Hence the various sea-rolls, made dishes, and Mediterranean pies, well known by man-of-war’s-men—Scouse, Lob-Scouse, Soft-Tack, Soft-Tommy, Skillagalee, Burgoo, Dough-Boys, Lob-Dominion, Dog’s-Body, and lastly, and least known, Dunderfunk; all of which come under the general denomination of Manavalins.
1855		W. Phillips Wild Tribes of London 85: Yes, there was a vurkus; I got relief there sometimes; skilligallee an’ ’ard words to help it down.
1859		G.A. Sala Gaslight and Daylight 353: In some [workhouses] they gives you bread and cheese, and in some broth, and in some skillygolee.
1859		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. 93: SKILLIGOLEE, prison gruel.
c.1860		‘Foreigners in England’ in C. Hindley Curiosities of Street Lit. (1871) 126: Cabbage and onions covered in fat, / Skillygolee and paddywhack.
1867		‘Fenians Are Coming’ in C. Hindley Curiosities of Street Lit. (1871) 113: Old Dennis Mahoney got up in a tree, / His musket was loaded with skillagalee.
1869		Australasian (Melbourne) 17 July 8/5: The broth given on board the hulks is called skilligolee, skilly, and smiggins.
1877		Shetland Times 20 Oct. 3/3: Thou’re dearer far to me [...] Then arrow-root, or skillagolee.
1881		Manchester Courier 30 Apr. 11/5: Billericay Union used to be a great favourite with [tramps] on accounty of the excellence of the skillagolee there served out.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 74: ‘[S]killy-o-lee,’ gaol porridge.
1905		(con. 1790s) Army & Navy Gaz. (London) 16 Sept. 8/1: Here we have [...] the sea pie, the ‘burgoo’, the skillagolee.
1933		M. Marshall Tramp-Royal on the Toby 7: I am loosed on the dormitory with blankets, rooti, and skilly-go-lee.

2. in attrib. use of sense 1, thin, undernourshed.

1834

‘A Grand Turn-Up’ in Randy Songster in Spedding & Watt (eds) I 187: Ragged Jack [...] vos a long skillygalee sort of a gemman — summat like a bundle of rags tied up ugly.

3. (Aus.) any broth or stew.

1871

C. Money Knocking About in N.Z. 34: I shared their skilligolee – the best thing a man can take in the bush when wet through and very hungry.

4. a small coin of minimal value; usu. in phr. not worth a skilagolee.

1834

Marryat Peter Simple (1911) 76: I am not worth a skillagalee.