golliwog

Meanings

1. A rag doll or mascot in the form of a caricature of a black minstrel.
2. A black person.
3. A hairy caterpillar.
4. A receiver of stolen goods.
5. Greyhound racing: the jolly dogs.

Etymology

Probably a blend of golly + polliwog Coined for the illustrations by Florence Kate Upton for her mother Bertha Upton′s 1895 children′s book, The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls — and a ‘Golliwogg’.