What is a Dooley? This question was posed on the Knightmare Discussion Forum by Pendragon (aka Wolf's head) way back in May 2004, and it took over seven years for a satisfactory answer to be found.

This intriguing word was used twice by the aggressive wood elf Velda in Series 3. During the first quest of the season, she was highly unsettled by the presence of a human in the Vale of Banburn...
Velda: "I don't like this at all! You're not supposed to be here. Or else, perhaps... HERE is not supposed to be here."
[An image of Treguard's face is projected into the dungeon.]
Velda: "And you brought a Dooley with you! Hold, dark one, and name yourself!"
Treguard: "Calm yourself, miss, if you please. For I am no enemy; merely Treguard, the Dungeon Master."
In a later episode, Velda rescued Team 5 of Series 3 from the armoured Behemoth, described by Treguard as "less than human". After disabling the creature and leading the dungeoneer to safety, she advised them to "stop worrying about the Dooley" and explain where they found the elf horn used to summon her.

Forum users were stumped as to the meaning of this word, which could not be found in the dictionary and didn't appear to have its origins in any known mythology or folklore, nor in Tolkien's fictional universe. Suggested definitions included "something small and insignificant" or "something that doesn't belong somewhere", perhaps based on similar nonsense words such as doodah, whatsit or thingummybob. Another guess was that it could have been the surname of someone known to the production crew, as such in-jokes have been noted elsewhere [see Morris, Caverns of Gore].

Arguably the most convincing theory, however, is that it refers to the Irish name Dubhlaoich - from dubh meaning "dark" or "black", and laoch meaning "warrior". The original Gaelic has been anglicised to Dooley or Dooly (it is unknown which spelling Tim Child prefers). It seems reasonable for both Treguard and the Behemoth to be described as a "dark warrior", though it isn't clear whether Velda associates the word with a specific type of being, or if it's a general term for any soldier of evil alignment. She later uses the word "darklings" in reference to a pair of goblins.

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