dilly

American

[dil-ee] / ˈdɪl i /

noun

Informal.

plural

dillies

something or someone regarded as remarkable, unusual, etc..

a dilly of a movie.

dilly ¹ British

/ ˈdɪlɪ /

noun

slang a person or thing that is remarkable

"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

dilly ² British

/ ˈdɪlɪ /

adjective

slang 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

Etymology

Origin of dilly

An Americanism first recorded in 1905–10; it was at first an adjective: “wonderful,” apparently a shortening of delicious, with -y ¹ (now taken as -y ² )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Or with a dilly dipping sauce if you're fancy!

From Salon • Jul. 18, 2023

We are saying to the Irish government to stop dilly dallying and make a move so that we can get that medicine to the children as early as possible.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2022

They will be delivered in midnight green trucks that also have the Philly Special play plastered all over them because Anheuser-Busch has literally unlimited marketing funds dilly dilly:

From Golf Digest • Aug. 2, 2018

Canned fruits, dilly beans, baskets of parsnips, brussels sprouts and russet potatoes were among the fare in a fully stocked pantry.

From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2017

“Claim they eat livestock. Kill pets, wild game. Not a whit of truth to it. I seen ’em eat dilly bugs and the like.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023