English word origin

Etymology of lairy

Variation of leery, originally Cockney slang.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

adj

Touchy, aggressive or confrontational, usually while drunk.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Variation of leery, originally Cockney slang.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
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    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Touchy, aggressive or confrontational, usually while drunk."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ],
      "recordId": "a18c4573b5a41b2803db25dde03213afb5bbb669a4adc5fe6d8f0312d29741cc",
      "rawRecordSha256": "bd07efcfa991f80116456e50cc7b27e03bfae062c0a50fe992dff99ea538b622",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 576726
    }
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

adj

Vulgar and flashy. · Socially unacceptable.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Thought to be from leery (“knowing, streetwise”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "leery",
      "leery#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Vulgar and flashy.",
        "Socially unacceptable."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "2a02e36bd0bbfb5ef3d13bc5cf5b63582ba6e6cbfc7060793045f34b3ff03569",
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    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for lairy →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bGFpcnk