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Etymology
Origin of shilly-shally
First recorded in 1690–1700; originally repeated question, shall I? shall I?; later altered on the model of its synonym dilly-dally
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.
See Examples For:
He did not shilly-shally in welcoming the crowd.
From New York Times ● May 18, 2010
For George Norris on the stump does not shilly-shally about getting himself elected.
From Time Magazine Archive
Whenever the German army fell into a dangerous, disorganized or shilly-shally state, we always looked for the skillful hand of .
From Time Magazine Archive
“Yes, they were all shilly-shally from first to last,” continued the old sailor, warming up to his theme.
From Crown and Anchor Under the Pen'ant by Greene, John B.
As matters stood, to drag her thence by violence would never do, for shilly-shally Clovis would turn restive.
From The Maid of Honour, Volume 2 (of 3) A Tale of the Dark Days of France by Wingfield, Lewis
As the young man shilly-shallies, the father enters into several schemes to entrap him into a declaration of love; but all his schemes are abortive.
From Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook, Vol. 3 by Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham
The puck didn’t hover above the board, exactly, but shilly-shallied back and forth.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 9, 2016
They shilly-shallied, and wrote endless letters—and at last they sent him off—the day she died.
From Helbeck of Bannisdale — Volume I by Ward, Humphry, Mrs.
I've shilly-shallied around you for months, protesting my love, and I haven't gotten anywhere.
From The Valley of the Giants by Kyne, Peter B. (Peter Bernard)
He shilly-shallied from one car to another asking rather stupid questions for the best part of two hours.
From Men of Affairs by Pertwee, Roland
Now that he shilly-shallied no longer, his native spirits had come back to him.
From My Lords of Strogue Vol. III, (of III) A Chronicle of Ireland, from the Convention to the Union by Wingfield, Lewis
We’ve been shilly-shallying around on this since the Eisenhower administration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2021
At a time of endless half-truths and moral shilly-shallying, Morris's eccentric integrity shines out.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 27, 2010
We'll share the responsibility for government policy, but we won't share in shilly-shallying.
From Time Magazine Archive
Like others caught in the middle, Lyuh did a lot of shilly-shallying.
From Time Magazine Archive
We will make no further pretence, and lest I lose you by further shilly-shallying, we will start upon our journey at once.
From Romance of Roman Villas (The Renaissance) by Champney, Elizabeth W. (Elizabeth Williams)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
