shilly-shally

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But 'they still express themselves dissatisfied upon the point, and appear to suspect a disposition to shilly-shally.'

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Definitions (11)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (6)

  1. intransitive verb To procrastinate.
  2. intransitive verb To be unable to come to a decision; vacillate.
  3. intransitive verb To spend time on insignificant things; dawdle.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (3)

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

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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 (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Reduplication of the question shall I?

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (3)

  1. Formerly also shilli, shalli; a variation of shally-shally, reduplication of shall I? adjective question indicating hesitation. Cf. shally-shally, willy-nilly.
  2. Formerly also shill I, shall I: see the verb.
  3. from shilly-shally, v.
 

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/ˈʃɪlɪʃæli/
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