dilly-dally
verb /ˈdɪli dæli/
/ˈdɪli dæli/
[intransitive] (old-fashioned, informal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they dilly-dally | /ˈdɪli dæli/ /ˈdɪli dæli/ |
| he / she / it dilly-dallies | /ˈdɪli dæliz/ /ˈdɪli dæliz/ |
| past simple dilly-dallied | /ˈdɪli dælid/ /ˈdɪli dælid/ |
| past participle dilly-dallied | /ˈdɪli dælid/ /ˈdɪli dælid/ |
| -ing form dilly-dallying | /ˈdɪli dæliɪŋ/ /ˈdɪli dæliɪŋ/ |
- to take too long to do something, go somewhere or make a decision synonym dawdle
- Don’t dilly-dally on the way home from school.
More Like This Reduplicative wordsReduplicative words- airy-fairy
- argy-bargy
- chit-chat
- criss-cross
- dilly-dally
- harum-scarum
- helter-skelter
- higgledy-piggledy
- hocus-pocus
- hoity-toity
- hotchpotch
- hurly-burly
- itty-bitty
- mumbo jumbo
- mishmash
- nitty-gritty
- ping-pong
- pitter-patter
- shilly-shally
- teeny-weeny
- tittle-tattle
- touchy-feely
- wishy-washy
Word Originearly 17th cent.: reduplication of dally.