Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a prostitute specializing in sailors.

[1831		Leamington Spa Courier 6 Aug. 2/4: One mile heat was won in two [lengths] by Mr Goodlake’s Dolly Mop] .
1834		Marryat Peter Simple (1911) 22: His liberty’s stopped for getting drunk and running after the Dolly Mops!
1866		Night Side of N.Y. 30: They represent the lowest type of the ‘dolly-mop,’ or sailor’s courtesan [...] hard, bitter harridans who rob him when they have a chance.
1898		A.J. Boyd Shellback 323: He [...] gives her a dollar or two, and straightway falls into the snares of another, although he swears that Dolly Mops isn’t going to send him to sea again before his time.

2. a slovenly, ill-kempt servant girl.

1842		Colburn's New Mthly Mag. and Humorist 155: Among the dollymops and spider-brushers, a red-fisted, knock-kneed footboy, who curls his hair and frizzles it on the top of his head [...] is held to be dandy.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1933		Taunton Courier 26 Apr. 10/2: Dollymop — A tawdrily-dressed maid-servant.

3. (also dolly mopp) a part-time prostitute, often a servant or shopgirl, esp. a milliner, who occas. sells her body to supplement her otherwise meagre income; thus dollymopping n., of men, picking up such women.

1847		Hants. Advertiser 2 Oct. 5/1: Srah Albert was ordered to pay one shilling and costs, for assaulting Elizabeth Berry, who had aggravated her by calling her [...] ‘Dolly Mop’.
1859		Lloyd’s Wkly Newspaper 18 Sept. 8/2: In the society of some pert dollymop.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor IV 248/2: We have taken three men home, and Lizzie, who is a clever little devil, got two pound five out of them. [...] ‘Meds’ aint good for much; they’re larky young blokes, but they’ve never much money, and they’re fond of dollymopping. But talk of dolly mopping – lawyers are the fellows for that.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict. 122: dollymop a tawdrily-dressed maid-servant, a street-walker.
1879		Graphic (London) 28 June 26/3: Only let them wait [...] ‘fogey’ and ‘dolly-mop’ [...] will adorn[...] our popular speech.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. 9/2: Kino, the macing cove, kidded on a dollymop where the bloak’s got a swag of sheen. [...] Kino, the housebreaker, enticed a servant-girl (to keep his company) where the master has a quantity of plate.
1895		Coburg Leader (Vic.) 25 May 4/4: Useless down East has given up smiling at the little Dolly Mopps says his face hurts him.
1894		Leeds Times 3 Feb. 6/4: No, she ain’t a dolly-mop; you’re clean off the scent there, buttie [...] she’s proper.
1898		Binstead & Wells Pink ’Un and Pelican 233: A very well-known Nottingham bookmaker left the stronghold of d’oyleys and dollymops on his annual pilgrimage to Chichester.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 114/1: Dolly mop (Peoples’). An overdressed servant girl. Probably a form of Dollabella and Mopsa, both names used in 18th century for weak, overdressed, slovenly women.
1997		Roger’s Profanisaurus in Viz 87 Dec. n.p.: dollymop n. An amateur or inexperienced prostitute.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 158: This is where dollymops, irregulars with names like Buildwas Winnie, came to top up their miserable incomes as shopgirls, seamstresses, domestic servants etc. For a florin they gratefully fucked rich young gentlemen.

4. (Aus.) a term of abuse.

1917

‘Henry Handel Richardson’ Aus. Felix (1971) 10: The rebel diggers hurled any term of abuse that came to their lips. ‘The Dolly mops! The skunks! The bushrangers! — Oh, damn ’em, damn ’em!’.