Etymology From lip (“fleshy protrusion around the opening of the mouth; (slang) verbal impertinence, backtalk”) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense of ‘having the quality of’).
His eyes were large and prominent, his mouth wide and lippy, and as he bent over his books he emitted sundry low growls and grunts, plainly indicating that his temper was none of the sweetest.1906 February, A. Demain Grange, “Mr. Gummidge’s Little Deal: The Story of a Stradivarius”, in The Royal Magazine, volume XV, number 88, London: C[yril] Arthur Pearson Ltd, […], →OCLC, page 375, column 1:
2
Informal Having a tendency to talk back in a cheeky or impertinent manner.
Don't give me any lip! I don't like how lippy you've been acting lately! Clean your room.
No, it's [Tamil is] a happy, snappy, lippy, and loping lingo anyone can see just makes these guys happy to speak and hear.1998, Frank Chin, “A Chinaman in Singapore”, in Bulletproof Buddhists and Other Essays (Intersections), Honolulu, Hi.: University of Hawaiʻi Press in association with UCLA Asian American Studies Center […], →ISBN, page 409:
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I hesitated another moment, then followed her with a vow that I would walk out the instant she got lippy. If she wanted to fire me, fine, I'd go, but I'd be damned if I'd let her lay any crap on me.1998, Dana Redfield, “Something in the Air”, in Lucy Blue and the Daughters of Light: A Novel, Charlottesville, Va.: Hampton Roads Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 120:
His silence conceded the point. Either she'd gotten lippier down the years, or he was getting rusty. Both, probably.2006, Ian Rankin, chapter 1, in The Naming of the Dead, London: Orion, →ISBN, side 1 (The Task of Blood):
In clothes, language, and manner, he's hip-hop ghetto meets Italian mobster. He's the lippiest, most foul-mouthed, most confrontational kid I've ever met and also one of the funniest.2012, Bill Clegg, “Goners”, in Ninety Days: A Memoir of Recovery, New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN:
Wouldn't it just be my luck to come across the lippiest desk nurse in the whole of Miami?2016, Annie O’Neil, chapter 1, in Santiago’s Convenient Fiancée (Hot Latin Docs; 1), London: Mills & Boon, →ISBN; republished London: Mills & Boon, 2017, →ISBN:
Etymology From lip(stick) or lip (gloss) + -y (diminutive suffix).
1
New Zealand, UK, Also, Colloquial Lip gloss or lipstick; (countable) a stick of this product.
Like some kind of masonic handshake, Collie passed Vanya a tube of black lippie. She smeared it carelessly across her wide mouth and handed it to me. My parents would have a hissy fit if they knew I put on lipstick but they weren't around.2007, D. M. Ross, chapter 12, in The Holy Bad, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Vanguard Press, →ISBN, page 52:
I'm worried I'm turning into a 1950s housewife: the other day I found myself tidying up the sitting room and putting on some lippie before Tony got home from work!2008, Lynn Bertram, “The World of Motherhood”, in Supporting Postnatal Women Into Motherhood: A Guide to Therapeutic Groupwork for Health Professionals, Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Radcliffe Publishing, →ISBN, page 11:
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'Sorry—just trying on new lippies for tonight,' she confessed, flashing a crimson smile.2008, Rachel Power, “Emma Matthews—Opera Singer”, in The Divided Heart: Art and Motherhood, Fitzroy, Vic.: Red Dog Books, →ISBN; republished Fitzroy, Vic.: Red Dog Books, 2012, →ISBN, page 159:
A russet shade of sheer lippy proved the finishing touch to Meghan's latest make-up look. It wasn't a full gloss, but appeared to have a balm-like finish, a pretty touch of shine.2020 January 9, Annie Vischer, “Meghan Markle’s Latest Make-Up Look Decoded”, in Grazia, London: Bauer Consumer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 10 Jan 2020:
However, to ſerve you as much at^([sic]) I can / (For nothing’s more dear to my life than a man) / Tho’ all my acquantances^([sic]) call me coquette, / And ſwear ſuch extravagant freedoms they hate, / And hanging their lippies, put on their grimace, / And call me immodeſt for ſhewing my face; […]1773 April 11, Celinda, “Solution of the query propoſed by Mankind,—attempted by a Lady”, in The Perth Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure, page 80:
Those sweet little lippies, like rosebuds at e’en, / Encircle a pipe-stem, impure and unclean?1873, James Ogg, “Little Willie”, in Willie Waly; and Other Poems, Aberdeen: […] the Free Press Office, page 182:
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“Make me immortal with a smack on the lippies,” Amos whispered, bending slightly forward, making an enormous kissing sound.1967, William Goldman, The Thing of It Is..., New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., page 73:
She grabbed my ciggy from out between my lippies and lit hers with my heater, handing me the manhandled ciggy back, bent and smoldering.2008, Kevin Pecore, My Iron Lung, KMDS Publishing Co., →ISBN, page 54:
I’ve been watching some “Honeys” sizing you up! / Yeah, right! / I’m not kidding you—right over there, sitting at the bar. Two of them! / Wow, you say two of them? Heaven awaits Marko at the bar! / So are you sure, Marko? A big one on the lippies? / Yepper! It’ll just signal to them that I’m a player!2010, Matt Allman, To Bind Fast, Xlibris, →ISBN:
All bacteria infested, / They have cold sores on their lippies, / That’s the story / Of these roaming gypsies.2019, Tommy Rhys Andrews, “Gypsies”, in Crossroads: Tommy’s Book of Poetry III, Xlibris, →ISBN:
lippy
noun
Etymology From leap (“trap or snare for fish made from twigs; (obsolete) basket”) + -y (diminutive suffix).
1
New Zealand, Scotland, UK, Also, Colloquial, Historical An old dry measure amounting to one quarter of a peck (for goods sold by weight, 1¾ pounds or about four-fifths of a kilogram); also, a container of that capacity.
I ſowed on this Ground, without any Dung or Manure, a Lippy of Oats, from which I had a Boll wanting a Chopin.1742, Virgil, “Appendix to the Georgicks”, in James Hamilton, transl., Virgil’s Pastorals Translated into English Prose; as also His Georgicks, […], Edinburgh: Printed by W. Cheyne, […]; [s]old by J. Traill and G. Crawford, […]; and by J. Barry […], →OCLC, page 43:
[T]he valuation of lands, tenor of leaſes, the rents, the entails, rent charges, life rents, and payments for or out of land revenue, are all reckoned in Scotland by the chalder, boll, firlot, and lippy, and cannot be altered; [...]1786, Daniel De Foe [i.e., Daniel Defoe], “Appendix. Part I. Containing an Account of Transactions in both Parts of the United Kingdoms, subsequent to the Union; […]”, in A History of the Union between England and Scotland, with a Collection of Original Papers Relating thereto. […], London: Printed for John Stockdale, […], →OCLC, page 600:
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A miniſter's ſtipend is paid by the heritors as follows: James Speers pays 3 bolls 3 firlots 1 peck 3 lippies oats, 2 bolls barley, and L. 3 : 15 : 4; [...]1798, Robert Hamilton, “Subtraction”, in An Introduction to Merchandise. […], 2nd corrected and revised edition, Edinburgh: Printed for Charles Elliot, […]; and for C. Elliot, T. Kay, and Co. […], →OCLC, §19, paragraph XIII, page 19:
You good Pastors, [...] you who can prevail upon your parishioners to pay the last lippy of your modified tithes, [...]1825 May, “Statistical Sketch of the Present State of the Established and Dissenting Churches in Scotland. Spring-meeting of the United Associate Synod 1825.”, in The Edinburgh Magazine, and Literary Miscellany, being a New Series of the Scots Magazine, volume XVI, Edinburgh: Printed [by J. Ruthven & Son] for Archibald Constable & Company, →OCLC, page 598, column 1:
A Scotch barley boll contains 5 bushels, 3 pecks, 2 lippies, and a little more, according to the Winchester gallon. A Scotch barley boll, according to the legal measure, contains 6 bushels, wanting a little more than ½ lippie.1852, “BRUCE, Robert”, in Robert Chambers, editor, A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen, new edition, division II (Brown–Dalrymple), Glasgow; Edinburgh: Blackie and Son, →OCLC, page 365:
It was sowens she had in her hand for our supper, when a little old woman walked in and begged a lippie of meal of her.1860, Thomas Pattieson, “The Smith and the Fairies”, in J[ohn] F[rancis] Campbell, transl., Popular Tales of the West Highlands: Orally Collected: With a Translation, volume II, Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas, →OCLC, page 61: