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dilly

[ dil-ee ]
/ ˈdɪl i /

noun, plural dil·lies.Informal.

something or someone regarded as remarkable, unusual, etc.: a dilly of a movie.

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Origin of dilly

1930–35; Americanism; earlier as adj.: wonderful, apparently a shortening of delightful or delicious, with -y1 (now taken as -y2)

Words nearby dilly

Dillinger, Dillinger, John, Dillon, dill pickle, dillweed, dilly, dilly bag, dillydally, diltiazem, diltiazem hydrochloride, diluent
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for dilly

British Dictionary definitions for dilly (1 of 2)

dilly1
/ (ˈdɪlɪ) /

noun plural -lies

slang, mainly US and Canadian a person or thing that is remarkable

Word Origin for dilly

C20: perhaps from girl's proper name Dilly

British Dictionary definitions for dilly (2 of 2)

dilly2
/ (ˈdɪlɪ) /

adjective -lier or -liest

Australian and NZ slang silly

Word Origin for dilly

C20: perhaps from silly
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012