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dillydally

[ dil-ee-dal-ee, -dal- ]
/ ˈdɪl iˌdæl i, -ˈdæl- /
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verb (used without object), dil·ly·dal·lied, dil·ly·dal·ly·ing.
to waste time, especially by indecision; vacillate; trifle; loiter.
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Origin of dillydally

First recorded in 1735–45; gradational reduplication of dally
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

British Dictionary definitions for dillydally

dilly-dally
/ (ˌdɪlɪˈdælɪ) /

verb -lies, -lying or -lied
(intr) informal to loiter or vacillate

Word Origin for dilly-dally

C17: by reduplication from dally
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
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