la-la

1. not comparableOf indifferent quality; so-so.First known use 19th century

   Parker's play is only la-la; he is a low fellow, and as clownish in his manners as he is in his dress.

   1876, Mrs. Hibbert Ware, “The Yule Gift”, in The New Monthly Magazine, volume IX, →OCLC, page 20

present singular third person la-la-s · participle present la-la-ing · participle past la-la-ed · past la-la-ed

1. intransitiveTo sing or recite the syllable la repeatedly.First known use Since the 20th century

   "When the Saints Go Marchin' In," and "Jesus Loves Me," Arly in Spanish, me in English, as, in her orange robe in the wheelchair, her paralyzed arm belted with white Velcro into its fiberglass brace, Mom "la-la-ed" along.

   1999, Samuel R. Delany, Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, New York: New York University Press, →ISBN, page 54

2. transitiveTo sing (a song) with la replacing the song lyrics.First known use Since the 20th century

   PETER immediately begins ‘La, la-ing’ ‘The Merry Widow’, pulls JOSEPHINE up into a dancing position and begins to waltz her clear of the screen then towards the french window

   1969, Philip King, I'll Get my Man: A Farce, New York: French, →OCLC, page 64

plural la-las

1. USslangSomething unusually good; (occasionally) something unusually bad.First known use Late 19th century

   We all agreed he was wise, but we did want the worst way to see that girl. We were sure that she was a la-la from all Billy said.

   1897, “A fair hypothesis”, in Michiganensian, volume 1, →OCLC

   Synonyms: lollapalooza

2. slangA woman's genitals, especially the vagina; a sexually permissive woman.First known use Since the 1970s

   Thankfully, other BB starlets have gone on to find work that doesn't involve pushing their la-las together for one-handed mags.

   2009 May 23, “What they did next”, in Aol.co.uk, archived from the original on 25 Dec 2011

   1 more example

   For a western woman’s entire life, from her first menstrual period to her death, her ‘la la’ is a moneymaking machine for the big businesses who want to cultivate her ‘lady garden’.

   2013, Emma Rees, The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History, New York: Bloomsbury, →ISBN, page 27

   Synonyms: vagina

1. MalaysiaSingaporealternativeuncountableAlternative form of la la (“clams”).