dilly-dally

/'dilidæli/
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Thân thiện
dilly-dally

He tends to dilly-dally on his way to school.

Definition
  1. Verb:
    • To waste time through indecision or hesitation; to delay or procrastinate. This verb describes the act of being slow to act, decide, or proceed, often by engaging in trivial activities instead of focusing on the task at hand. It implies a sense of hesitation, dithering, or aimless lingering.
Examples of Usage
  • Verb:
    • Stop dilly-dallying and make a decision! (Stop wasting time and make a decision!)
    • If you keep dilly-dallying, we'll miss the start of the movie. (If you keep delaying, we'll miss the start of the movie.)
    • She dilly-dallied over which dress to wear until it was too late to go. (She hesitated for too long over which dress to wear until it was too late to go.)
Advanced Usage

  • "to dilly-dally over something": to be indecisive or slow about a specific thing.

    • The committee is still dilly-dallying over the final proposal. (The committee is still procrastinating on the final proposal.)

  • "to dilly-dally around": to waste time in a general, aimless way.

    • He spent the afternoon just dilly-dallying around the house. (He spent the afternoon just wasting time around the house.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Dilly-dallier (noun, informal): a person who dilly-dallies; a procrastinator or ditherer.
    • He's such a dilly-dallier; he can never choose a restaurant. (He's such a procrastinator; he can never choose a restaurant.)
Synonyms
  • Procrastinate: to delay or postpone action.
  • Dawdle: to waste time; to be slow.
  • Dither: to be indecisive.
  • Hesitate: to pause before saying or doing something.
  • Linger: to stay in a place longer than necessary.
Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "dilly-dally" itself functions as a phrasal verb. It is not typically combined with other particles to form distinct phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

  • To drag one's feet: to act slowly or reluctantly.

    • The government is dragging its feet on implementing the new law. (This is similar to dilly-dallying on an official matter.)

  • To hem and haw: to hesitate and avoid giving a clear answer.

    • Stop hemming and hawing and give me a straight answer! (This is similar to verbal dilly-dallying.)
dilly-dally

He tends to dilly-dally on his way to school.

Verb
  1. postpone doing what one should be doing
    • He did not want to write the letter and procrastinated for days

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