shilly-shally

[ shil-ee-shal-ee ]

/ ˈʃɪl iˌʃæl i /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR shilly-shally ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), shil·ly-shal·lied, shil·ly-shal·ly·ing.

to show indecision or hesitation; be irresolute; vacillate.

to waste time; dawdle.

noun, plural shil·ly-shal·lies.

irresolution; indecision; vacillation: It was sheer shilly-shally on his part.

adjective

irresolute; undecided; vacillating.

adverb

irresolutely.

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QUIZ TIME: TEST YOUR MEMORY OF THE MAY 2020 WORDS OF THE DAY

Let the aeolian gusts transport you back to these popular Words of the Day from the month of May. How many do you remember?

Question 1 of 10

Which of the following words means “to travel or journey, especially to walk on foot”?

hightail

peregrinate

perpetrate

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Origin of shilly-shally

1690–1700; orig. repeated question, shall I? shall I? later altered on the model of its synonym dilly-dally

OTHER WORDS FROM shilly-shally

shil·ly-shal·li·er, noun

Words nearby shilly-shally

shillelagh, shilling, shilling mark, shillong, shilluk, shilly-shally, shillyshally, shiloh, shilpit, shily, shim

Example sentences from the Web for shilly-shally

She was not a woman weakly to accommodate herself to shilly-shally proceedings.
George Eliot|Mathilde Blind
Descend, sir, from your shilly-shally generalities and verbal fallacies.
Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863|Adam Gurowski
Which, by the way, amounts to an admission that he does shilly-shally sometimes.
The Humour of Homer and Other Essays|Samuel Butler
The Kaiser, instead of taking strong measures at once, pursued his usual policy of shilly-shally.
The Story of Nuremberg|Cecil Headlam

Your Uncle William used to make fun of me and sing 'Shilly-shally with the wee girls, ha, ha, ha!'
The Foolish Lovers|St. John G. Ervine

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shilly-shally

verb (used without object), shil·ly-shal·lied, shil·ly-shal·ly·ing.

noun, plural shil·ly-shal·lies.

adjective

adverb

QUIZZES

QUIZ TIME: TEST YOUR MEMORY OF THE MAY 2020 WORDS OF THE DAY

Origin of shilly-shally

OTHER WORDS FROM shilly-shally

Words nearby shilly-shally

Example sentences from the Web for shilly-shally

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

shilly-shally

verb (used without object), shil·ly-shal·lied, shil·ly-shal·ly·ing.

noun, plural shil·ly-shal·lies.

adjective

adverb

QUIZZES

QUIZ TIME: TEST YOUR MEMORY OF THE MAY 2020 WORDS OF THE DAY

Origin of shilly-shally

OTHER WORDS FROM shilly-shally

Words nearby shilly-shally

Words related to shilly-shally

Example sentences from the Web for shilly-shally