dilly-dally

British  

/ ˌdɪlɪˈdælɪ /

verb

1. informal (intr) to loiter or vacillate

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Etymology

Origin of dilly-dally

C17: by reduplication from _dally

Explanation

When you dilly-dally, you dawdle or waste time. If a tourist dilly-dallies too long at the Eiffel Tower, they might miss their train to Biarritz. Dilly-dally comes from the verb dally, which originally meant "to chat idly" and was later defined as "to linger or loiter." The dilly was added to give the word some alliterative flare. When people dilly-dally, they procrastinate or drag their feet: "I'm leaving for the airport at ten o' clock sharp, so don't dilly-dally!"

Example Sentences

So if the Patriots dilly-dally, suddenly Brady counts $13.5 million against the cap before New England has paid him a dime in future salary.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2020

There’s only one way to do it: Penalize players strokes when they dilly-dally and give rules officials the authority to say, “You’re too slow, add one to your score.”

From Golf Digest • Feb. 19, 2018

“We will not dilly-dally waiting for you to return, nor will we waste time trying to open the doors using our unlock equipment,” police said.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 31, 2017

But they appear to be in dilly-dally mode.

From Washington Times • May 29, 2017

“Musn’t dilly-dally, miss. Remember, ‘A trip worth taking is a trip worth beginning,’” which made Penelope startle again, for she was quite certain that Agatha Swanburne had once said the very same thing.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood