Green’s Dictionary of Slang

palsy-walsy adj.

overly friendly.

1938		W. Winchell On Broadway 30 Nov. [synd. col.] Italy and Germany are palsy-walsy, but Italy is palsy with England and not walsy with France!
1944		G. Lane ‘The Undercover Kid’ in Mammoth Detective May 🌐 Don’t look like two guys trying to be palsy-walsy. What’s on your minds?
1951		Green & Laurie Show Biz from Vaude to Video xix: While you were in the office there was no palsy-walsy stuff with anyone, including his son, Sid.
1951		M. Spillane Long Wait (1954) 23: Everybody wants to be palsy with him.
1962		(con. WWII) J.O. Killens And Then We Heard The Thunder (1964) 386: Whiskey usually made him brotherly and palsy-walsy.
1970		San Diego Sailor 69: Although we knew each other, we’d never been what you’d call palsy.
1972		E. Grogan Ringolevio 81: Getting palsy-walsy with his fellow students.
1986		L. Heinemann Paco’s Story (1987) 161: Thank the man [...] But don’t get palsy-walsy.
1998		I. Welsh Filth 293: What made Ray Lennox want to be all palsy-walsy and one-of-the-boys all of a sudden?
2000		P. Howard Miseducation of Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (2004) 70: Just saying it’s a pity you two are all palsy-walsy again.