Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. silly, foolish.

1834		(con. 1737–9) W.H. Ainsworth Rookwood (1857) 177: Nix my dolly pals, fake away.
1854		T. Buckley Sydenham Greenfinch 38: ‘I say, Sydenham,’ he said, [...] ‘why is a young lady cutting notches in her doll like a character in Amsworth’s “Jack Sheppard”?’ Sydenham looked helplessly bewildered. ‘Because she nicks her dolly’.
1865		Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1994) 37: You are a chit and a little idiot, returned Bella, or you wouldn’t make such a dolly speech.
1883		J. Greenwood Tag, Rag & Co. 43: Had the stave suggested been [...] ‘Nix, my dolly pals’.
1904		Marvel 12 Nov. 6: Orl gay, my dolly pal!

2. nice or pleasant; attractive, fashionable.

1915		F. Garrett diary 7 Nov. 🌐 A dolly little English Officer in charge, he began to storm when the men broke lines to get a drink.
a.1966		Took & Feldman Round the Horne [BBC Radio] Divine. Sitting, sipping a tiny drinkette, vada-ing the great butch omis and dolly little palones trolling by.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 65: dolly [...] 2. attractive, popular; having a magnetic personality.
1999		(ref. to mid-1960s) M. Coward in Verbatim 24:2 n.p.: The Jules and Sand sketches often begin with some variation on the salutation ‘How bona to vada your dolly old eek again,’ meaning ‘How good to see your nice old face again’.
2019		P. Baker Fabulosa 291/2: dolly smart or attractive. Can also be used as a term of address.
2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 17: ‘It is with great pleasure I welcome you on this dolly noche to the Hotel Continental’.
2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 58: I wasn’t expecting any dolly muscular hero to materialise.