dally

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“
I thought I'd take some time out of my busy schedule to dally, and talk about my inspiration.

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Definitions (14)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. intransitive verb To play amorously; flirt: "Sylvester dallied about Lena until he began to make mistakes in his work” (Willa Cather). See Synonyms at flirt.
  2. intransitive verb To trifle; toy.
  3. intransitive verb To waste time; dawdle.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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Examples (50)

  • The pretty prints don't waver, don't dilly-dally, and then suddenly, they turn toward a door, broad and barred, and they stop At the door, Hardhands doesn't bother knocking, and neither does Alfonso, but their methods of entry differ. —  FSF, July 2006
  • You might want to part with your dilly-dally, but I don't. —  Sharon Sala - Ryder's Wife
  • No dilly dally -- read on schedule -- someone else is waiting for the news! —  Hawaii Reporter
  • He will dilly-dally, use very big words that mean absolutely nothing and generally show frustration with a journalist who is seen to be asking 'too many questions'.
  • Genji was tempted to dally, and looked contemplatively over them. —  Japanese Literature Including Selections from Genji Monogatari and Classical Poetry and Drama of Japan
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English dalien, from Old French dalier.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Early modern English also dallie; from Middle English dalyen, play, talk idly (cf. English dial. dwallee, talk incoherently), prob. from Anglo-Saxon dwalian, dwolian, commonly dwelian, dweligan, Old Northumbrian duoliga, dwoliga, err, be foolish, = Dutch dwalen, err, wander, be mistaken, = Icelandic dvala, delay; connected with dwell and dull, q. v. The supposed connection with Old High German dahlen, dallen, dalen, German dial. tallen, trifle, toy, speak childishly, has not been made out.
 

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/ˈdæli/
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