dilly-dally

present singular third person dilly-dallies · participle present dilly-dallying · participle past dilly-dallied · past dilly-dallied · alternative dilly dally · alternative dillydally

1. intransitiveTo dawdle; to waste time; to procrastinate.

   “I wouldn't dilly-dally long if I were you,” said Harkless, and his advice seemed good to the shell-men.

   1899, Booth Tarkington, The Gentleman from Indiana, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday & McClure Co., published 1900, →OCLC

   3 more examples

   It is something to have been an old soldier, but more still to have been a doctor. There is no time to dilly-dally in our work.

   1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC

   It likewise manifests the frankness of men who do not dilly-dally with terms, but who say what they mean, and who mean to settle down to a long, hard fight.

   1905 April, Jack London, “(please specify the page)”, in War of the Classes, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC

   No one can accuse the filmmakers of dillydallying; no sooner have the opening credits ended than we’re watching, via a mirrored ceiling, a couple writhing naked in coital ecstasy.

   2022 March 20, Jason Bailey, “‘Basic Instinct’ at 30: A Time Capsule That Can Still Offend”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   Synonyms: arse about, arse around, bludge, bum around, cabbage, clown around, dally, dawdle