Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. tolerable, bearable, in fairly good health; also adv. see cite 1886.

1797		A.M. Bennett Beggar Girl (1813) V 137: Our lady did nothing in the world but stare at you all supper time; and he says you looked very toll-loll .
1799		R. Porson ‘On the Play of Pizarro’ in Whibley In Cap and Gown (1889) 75: Four acts are tol-lol — but the fifth’s my delight.
1801		Sporting Mag. June XVIII 161/1: Any young lady of an equal income, and what the world calls toll loll, will meet with an offer of marriage.
1824		Morn. Chron. (London) 21 Apr. 4/3: There was a pleasing scarcity of the riff-raff, and [...] it was pretty tol-lol.
1830		Egan Finish to the Adventures of Tom and Jerry (1889) 74: As for myself, I am tol. lol.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict. 6: Bobbish – tol lol. [Ibid.] 33: Tol lol – pretty well in health.
1845		J. Lindridge Sixteen-String Jack 68: ‘Ha! my daffy-down-dilly, how are you?’ ‘Tollol, tollolish-like, how are you Toby?’.
1850		‘Epistle from Joe Muggins’s Dog’ in Era (London) 3 Mar. 3/3: I knowd you had a tol-lollish opinyun of my judgement.
1853		R.S. Surtees Mr Sponge’s Sporting Tour 113: ‘Is Lord Scampersdale punctual?’ asked Sponge. ‘Tol-lol,’ replied Jawleyford, ‘tol-lol’.
1864		G.A. Sala Quite Alone III 172: It’s very picturesque and in tol lol repair.
1866		Brighton Gaz. 4 Oct. 7/2: The regatta was tol-lollish.
1876		Oxford Jrnl 22 July 7/3: Emperor of Russia. How do you do? Ditto of Austria. Jolly! How’s the Missus? Emperor of Russia. Tol-lol, thanks.
1883		Sheffield Indep. (Yorks.) 15 Sept. 9/4: ‘Comfortably up there, Humpy?’ ‘Tol-lollish, Pimply,’ said Mike Patchett.
1886		Lincs. Chron. 30 Nov. 4/6: ‘Where would man be without woman?’ was the indignant ejaculation of an irate spouse. ‘Well, he might be where he could enjoy himself tol-lol,’ was the man’s reply.
1895		‘’Arry and the New Woman’ in Punch 18 May 230/2: They’ve styged it, no doubt, tol-lol-poppish, but wot is the ’ole thing about?’.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 86: Tollol, tolerable.
1895		S.F. Examiner 19 Feb. 3/4: Its conversation and dress ‘tol lollish’ said Ned Greenway.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 14 Apr. 15/4: As you say, your story is only ‘tol-lol.’.
1903		Eve. Teleg. (Angus, Scot.) 6 June 3/6: Now, they wouldn’t have a big box like this [...] if they hadn’t something more or less tol-lollish inside it.

2. (Aus.) overbearing.

1849

A. Harris Emigrant Family I 212: Oh, giving you this trouble, you know, something tol-lol.

3. (Aus./US) foppish.

1902		E. Fisher ‘Billiard-Marker’s Yarn’ in Bulletin Reciter 1880–1901 1: A tollollish breed of bloke, who never said ‘Good-day’ but what he’d offer one a smoke.
1924		Dispatch (Moline, IL) 18 Dec. 17/6: He wavd a tol-lollish hand toward the assembly.