Definition

1. Verb:
   • To spend time idly or aimlessly; to linger or dawdle without purpose.
   • To move or act slowly or with frequent pauses.

Usage

• The verb "lallygag" describes the action of wasting time by being slow or lingering unnecessarily. It is often used in informal contexts to criticize someone for not being prompt or purposeful. It is an intransitive verb, meaning it does not take a direct object.

Examples

• Verb:
  • Don't lallygag on your way home from school; come straight back.
  • We'll be late if you keep lallygagging.
  • He tends to lallygag in the morning, making everyone else wait.

Advanced Usage

• "to lallygag around": To spend time idly in a particular place.
  • The teenagers were lallygagging around the mall all afternoon.

Variants and Related Words

• Lollygag: This is a common alternative spelling and has the exact same meaning and usage as "lallygag".

Synonyms

• Loiter: To stand or wait around idly or without apparent purpose.
• Dawdle: To waste time; to be slow.
• Linger: To stay in a place longer than necessary.
• Dilly-dally: To waste time, especially by indecision. (Informal)

Related Phrasal Verbs / Constructions

• Lallygag around: As shown in the 'Advanced Usage' section, this is the primary phrasal construction, emphasizing idle presence in a location.

Related Idioms

• While there is no specific idiom using "lallygag," the word itself carries a similar informal, slightly disapproving tone as idioms like "drag one's feet" or "fiddle around."

Verb

1. be about
   • The high school students like to loiter in the Central Square
   • Who is this man that is hanging around the department?