shilly-shally

English

Etymology

A reduplication of shall I? An older form was Shill-I-shall-I.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɪliˌʃæli/
• Rhymes: -æli

Verb

shilly-shally (third-person singular simple present shilly-shallies, present participle shilly-shallying, simple past and past participle shilly-shallied)

1. (informal) To procrastinate.
   • 1836, Baron Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton, Paul Clifford in The works of Edward Lytton Bulwer, esq. in two volumes, Volume 1, Page 633

     "Why, you sees [sic], Captain, your time has come, and you can't shilly-shally any longer. You have had your full swing; your years are up, and you must die like a man!"

   • 1866, Charles Reade, Griffith Gaunt, in The Argosy: Volume 2 - Page 16, published by Strahan and Co.

     "She would have come a few months ago, and gladly: I'll write to her."

     "Better talk to her, and persuade her."

     "I'll do that too, but I must write to her first".

     "So do then; but whatever you do, don't shilly-shally no longer."

   • 1867, The Nation: A Weekly Journal Devoted to Politics, Literature, Science, and Art‎^[1], volume 4, page 215:

     However the resolutions seem merely calculated to waste time, as they involve a whole preliminary discussion before the really important matters can be settled. If the Liberal party were sincere, there would doubtless be an attempt to turn out the Government at once, on the ground that such shilly-shallying with a matter of such importance cannot be allowed

2. (informal) To vacillate.
   • 1991 January 7, Michael Duffy, “The Two George Bushes: At Home—A Case of Doing Nothing”, in Time:

     The shilly-shallying performance on domestic issues that has marked Bush's first two years in office is not the result of ineptitude.

   • 2023 February 11, Janan Ganesh, “After Germany's fall, which is the paragon nation?”, in FT Weekend, page 22:

     Then Germany lost its halo. It shilly-shallied over Ukraine.

Alternative forms

• shilly and shally

Derived terms

• stand shilly-shally (obsolete)

Adjective

shilly-shally (comparative more shilly-shally, superlative most shilly-shally)

1. (informal) Indecisive; wavering.
   • 1859, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter 16, in Adam Bede […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC:

     Irwine would think him a shilly-shally fellow ever after.

Noun

shilly-shally

1. (informal) Indecision; irresolution.

See also

• dilly-dally