dilly

[ dil-ee ]

/ ˈdɪl i /

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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

An Americanism first recorded in 1905–10; it was at first an adjective: “wonderful,” apparently a shortening of delicious, with -y¹ (now taken as -y²)

Words nearby dilly

Dillinger, Dillinger, John, Dillon, dill pickle, dillweed, dilly, dilly bag, dillydally, diltiazem, diluent, dilute

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dilly in a sentence

After showing promise, she was plucked out and sent to Bletchley to work in the research unit run by Dilly Knox.
Week in Death: The Woman Who Cracked Hitler’s Codes|The Telegraph|November 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
After all, flu dilly-dallied last season, barely making a peep.
Flu Outbreak Spreads Across U.S. as Media Drops the Ball|Kent Sepkowitz|January 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Why dilly-dally with teenage angst when you can bring on the Giant Robots, that was my motto.
The Great Summer Read Is Here|Jane Ciabattari|February 19, 2009|DAILY BEAST
When we entered Mr. Dilly's drawing room, he found himself in the midst of a company he did not know.
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886|Ministry of Education

Here we are frightened at names, dilly-dallying and quarreling over idle words, when a tremendous crisis calls for acts.
Continental Monthly, Vol. I. February, 1862, No. II.|Various
But its no use dilly-dallying, and Shultz may as well understand it.
The New Boys at Oakdale|Morgan Scott
And your dad will be angry because you dilly-dallied so long.
The Inspector-General|Nicolay Gogol
Fer if ther is, Dilly Quinn an Bess are angels, sure as sure.
In Wild Rose Time|Amanda M. Douglas

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