wild and woolly

W

wild and woolly

Meaning

• to be carrying a wild look
• to have a bearded and dirty look
• to be lawless
• to be uncultured

Example Sentences

1. Their residence is totally wild and woolly but all in all I found them to be warm people.
2. I don’t like this wild and woolly look on you. Please get into something more sophisticated this evening.
3. The event theme is wild and woolly and hence you can come as yourself.
4. Have you seen his wild and woolly look? It is ghastly.
5. Women are usually not able to work with his wild and woolly We prefer him to be clean shaved and neat in appearance.
6. I’ve seen wild and woolly looks but none as bad as this one.

Origin

The phrase comes from the Wild West in America from the 1850’s. It was used to describe the effects of the gold rush and would be used as wild and woolly-haired. The phrase as first published in “The Protestant Episcopal Quarterly Review and Church Register” in the United States. It was later shortened to “wild and woolly” in 1875 in a US based newspaper “The Sedalia Daily Democrat”. Although American in origin it is now a popular phrase throughout the world.

Hair