molly

Pluralmollies (some meanings)

Formsmollies, mollying, mollied

1. 1
   party drugnounslanguncountable

   MDMA in powder or crystal form, sold as pure but often mixed with or replaced by other drugs.

   Medics at the festival treated several people who had taken molly in the summer heat.

   Prosecutors said the powder sold as molly was really a mix of cheaper drugs.

   UsageUse take molly for using the drug and be on molly for being under its effects.

   Similarmandy

   Note

   The girl's name probably attached itself to the drug through molecule, a word for pure MDMA, and mandy, another girl's name, does the same work. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Mandy is a female given name. en.wiktionary.org
   • Mandy also denotes MDMA. en.wiktionary.org
2. 2
   aquarium fishnouncountable

   Any fish of the genus Poecilia other than the ones known as guppies.

   The pet store keeps its mollies in a separate tank from the guppies.

   A molly darted out from behind the rock to grab the flakes of food.

   Note

   The name is a fossil of old taxonomy: it comes from Mollienesia, a genus name that is no longer valid, shaped in passing by the girl's name Molly. Scientists now place these fish in Poecilia alongside the guppies, but the short name stayed in the aquarium trade. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

   • The fish name molly derives from Mollienesia. en.wiktionary.org
   • Mollienesia is no longer a valid genus name for these fish. en.wiktionary.org
   • The personal name Molly influenced the fish name. en.wiktionary.org
   • Mollies and guppies are classified in Poecilia. en.wikipedia.org
   • The name molly remains in the aquarium trade. en.wikipedia.org
3. 3
   wall anchornouncountable or uncountable

   A molly bolt, a metal anchor that spreads open behind a hollow wall so that a screw can hold in it.

   A nail won't hold the shelf in drywall, so put in a couple of mollies.

   The installer tightened the molly until its sleeve spread out behind the panel.

4. 4
   female catnouncountable or uncountable

   A female cat, usually one that has been spayed.

   The vet confirmed that the stray was a molly, already spayed by a previous owner.

   We adopted a gray tabby molly from the shelter last spring.

   Oppositetom

5. 5
   nounslangcountable

   In video games, a Molotov cocktail, the thrown bottle of fuel that bursts into flames.

   She threw a molly onto the bomb site to stop the defuse.

   The patch shortened how long mollies burn, so they are less useful for blocking doorways.

   Note

   Players clipped Molotov to molly, and in team shooters the thing it names is as much a barrier as a weapon: it leaves a patch of fire that deals damage tick by tick, so it is thrown to block a doorway or drive opponents out of cover. Where heroes each carry their own version, players speak of a character's molly. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

   • The gaming noun molly is a clipping of Molotov. en.wiktionary.org
   • The ability can create a lingering fire zone that damages players over time. wiki.playvalorant.com
   • Mollies serve as area denial and can force opponents out of positions. wiki.playvalorant.com
6. 6
   verbintransitive

   Of a man, to engage in sexual activity with another man.

   Note

   The verb belongs to the molly-houses and courtrooms of eighteenth-century London, where it was flung as an insult and denied before the bench: "I never mollied you... My Lord, I never laid Hands upon him." It survives mainly in histories of that world, such as Peter Ackroyd's Queer City, so it reads as a period term, not a living one.

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