Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Dally
Dal′ly
(dăl′ly̆)
, Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Dallied
(dăl′lĭd)
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Dallying
.] [OE.
dalien
, dailien
; cf. Icel. pylja
to talk, G. dallen
, dalen
, dahlen
, to trifle, talk nonsense, OSw. tule
a droll or funny man; or AS. dol
foolish, E. dull
.] 1.
To waste time in effeminate or voluptuous pleasures, or in idleness; to fool away time; to delay unnecessarily; to tarry; to trifle.
We have trifled too long already; it is madness to
dally
any longer. Calamy.
We have put off God, and
dallied
with his grace. Barrow.
2.
To interchange caresses, especially with one of the opposite sex; to use fondling; to wanton; to sport.
Not
dallying
with a brace of courtesans. Shakespeare
Our aerie . . .
dallies
with the wind. Shakespeare
Dal′ly
,Verb.
T.
To delay unnecessarily; to while away.
Dallying
off the time with often skirmishes. Knolles.
Webster 1828 Edition
Dally
DAL'LY
, v.i.1.
Literally, to delay; to linger; to wait. Hence.2.
To trifle; to lose time in idleness and trifles; to amuse one's self with idle play.It is madness to dally any longer. Calamy.
3.
To toy and wanton, as man and woman; to interchange caresses; to fondle.4.
To sport; to play.She dallies with the wind. Shak.
DAL'LY
,Verb.
T.
Definition 2025
dally
dally
English
Verb
dally (third-person singular simple present dallies, present participle dallying, simple past and past participle dallied)
- To waste time in voluptuous pleasures, or in idleness; to trifle.
- Calamy
- We have trifled too long already; it is madness to dally any longer.
- Barrow
- We have put off God, and dallied with his grace.
- Calamy
- To interchange caresses, especially of a sexual nature; to use fondling; to wanton; to sport (compare dalliance)
- Shakespeare
- Not dallying with a brace of courtesans.
- Shakespeare
- To delay unnecessarily; to while away.
- 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.
- 2003, Jameson Parker, An Accidental Cowboy, page 89:
Synonyms
Translations
to waste time
|
to interchange caresses
|
to delay unnecessarily
|
Etymology 2
Possibly from Spanish "dale la vuelta !" ("twist it around !") by law of Hobson-Jobson.
Noun
dally (plural dallies)
- 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.
- 1947 - Bruce Kiskaddon, Rhymes and Ranches