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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
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
For George Norris on the stump does not shilly-shally about getting himself elected.
From Time Magazine Archive
Come, say, how many have been sold, And don't stand shilly-shally, Of bound and lettered, red and gold, Well printed works of Gally.
From The Works of Lord Byron, Vol. 7. Poetry by Coleridge, Ernest Hartley
I don't want to shilly-shally, little girl," he replied gently, "nor to keep anything from you.
From The Heart of a Woman by Orczy, Emmuska Orczy, Baroness
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
If he had shilly-shallied like that, a nice mess he would have made of his life!
From The Whirligig of Time by Williams, Wayland Wells
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)
Monsieur," he answered, "I have shilly-shallied long; but I am planted squarely at last with my father on the king's side.
From Helmet of Navarre by Runkle, Bertha
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.
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
Increasingly fed up were the Allies with his shilly-shallying over a clause in the peace terms which called for delivery of all German nationals in his realm.
From Time Magazine Archive
We'll share the responsibility for government policy, but we won't share in shilly-shallying.
From Time Magazine Archive
"There may be nothing serious here for the present," he continued, "and yet one can't tell; but I think they will go on shilly-shallying and tinkering up constitutions for months to come."
From Romantic Spain A Record of Personal Experiences (Vol. I) by O'Shea, John Augustus
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.
