dally

See also: Dally

English

WOTD – 3 October 2008

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdælɪ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈdæli/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (AU):

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• Rhymes: -æli

Etymology 1

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English dalyen, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Anglo-Norman delaier

Verb

dally (third-person singular simple present dallies, present participle dallying, simple past and past participle dallied)

1. To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle.
   • a. 1726, Benjamin Calamy, in Sermons preached upon several occasions, edited by J. Calamy

     […] we have trifled too long already about a matter of such infinite moment, it is perfect Madness to dally any longer. […]

   • a. 1692, Isaac Barrow, "The Danger and Mischief of Delaying Repentance"

     […] after we by our presumptuous delays have put off God, and dallied with his grace; […]

2. (transitive, intransitive) To caress, especially of a sexual nature; to fondle or pet
   • c. 1593, William Shakespeare, Richard III

     Not dallying with a brace of courtesans.

3. To delay unnecessarily; to while away.
4. To wind the lasso rope (ie throw-rope) around the saddle horn (the saddle horn is attached to the pommel of a western style saddle) after the roping of an animal
   • 2003, Jameson Parker, An Accidental Cowboy, page 89:

     The end of the top rope he dallied around the gooseneck trailer hitch.

Synonyms

• dilly-dally

Translations

to waste time

• Bulgarian: губя си времето (gubja si vremeto), играя си (igraja si)
• French: procrastiner (fr), lambiner (fr), lanterner (fr), traîner (fr)
• German: tändeln (de), trödeln (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: trastullarsi
• Maori: whakarunaruna
• Russian: тра́тить вре́мя впусту́ю impf (trátitʹ vrémja vpustúju), безде́льничать (ru) impf (bezdélʹničatʹ), прохлажда́ться (ru) impf (proxlaždátʹsja), развлека́ться (ru) impf (razvlekátʹsja), игра́ться (ru) impf (igrátʹsja), игра́ть (ru) impf (igrátʹ)

to interchange caresses

• Bulgarian: флиртувам (bg) (flirtuvam)
• French: flirter (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: флиртова́ть (ru) impf (flirtovátʹ), коке́тничать (ru) impf (kokétničatʹ)

to delay unnecessarily

• Bulgarian: отлагам (bg) (otlagam)
• French: lanterner (fr), lambiner (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: откла́дывать (ru) impf (otkládyvatʹ), отложи́ть (ru) pf or impf (otložítʹ) заде́рживать (ru) pf (zadérživatʹ) задержа́ть (ru) (zaderžátʹ)

Etymology 2

Possibly from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Spanish "dale la vuelta !" ("twist it around !") by law of Hobson-Jobson.

Noun

dally (plural dallies)

1. Several wraps of rope around the saddle horn, used to stop animals in roping.
   • 1947 - Bruce Kiskaddon, Rhymes and Ranches

     What matters is now if he tied hard and fast, / Or tumbled his steer with a dally.

Anagrams

• d'y'all, y'all'd