The English word dally means to act or move slowly. The idiom dilly dally is a reduplicative compound based on dally, in which sounds are contrasted and repeated. Dilly dally probably arose because of another such idiom shilly-shally, a now archaic term meaning to be undecided or have a hard time making up one’s mind.1Jarvie, Gordon. Bloomsbury Dictionary of Idioms. London: Bloomsbury, 2009.
Meaning OF Idiom ‘Dilly-Dally’
To dilly-dally means to go very slowly or be unproductive when something should be done more quickly; to waste time. 2Jarvie, Gordon. Bloomsbury Dictionary of Idioms. London: Bloomsbury, 2009.,3Brenner, Gail. Webster’s New World American Idioms Handbook. John Wiley & Sons, 2011.
Usage Notes
This idiom is most often used as a verb but it can be used as a noun to describe a person who moves slowly or wastes time.
Sentence Examples
“Stop dilly-dallying and get to work. We don’t have all day.”
“There’s no time to dilly-dally. The sun will be setting soon and we have to set up camp.”
“This judge is known to dilly-dally but he is thoughtful, thorough, and fair-minded.”
“While you were dilly-dallying around, window shopping and whatnot, I was busy taking care of these crazy kids.”
Origin
Used since the mid to late 1800s.
