doolally

Where does the word "doolally" come from? It comes from Marathi Deolali, passing through Urdu and English before entering English (1940s).

Doolally’s story begins in Marathi: Deolali meant “a transit camp town.” Name of a British Army transit camp near Mumbai, notorious for boredom and disease. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Urdu as tap. Meant 'fever'. From there it passed into English as doolally tap by 1917. British soldiers combined the camp's name with the word for fever to describe men driven mad by the long wait there. It reached English by 1940s as doolally. Shortened into general British slang. Today, doolally means british slang meaning crazy, eccentric, or deranged.

1. Stage 1 · Marathi · 1861 Deolali "a transit camp town", name of a British Army transit camp near Mumbai, notorious for boredom and disease.
2. Stage 2 · Urdu · medieval tap "fever", meant 'fever'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1917 doolally tap "feverish madness from being stuck at the camp", British soldiers combined the camp's name with the word for fever to describe men driven mad by the long wait there.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1940s doolally "crazy, eccentric, mad", shortened into general British slang.