shilly-shally

American  

[shil-ee-shal-ee] / ˈʃɪl iˌʃæl i /

verb (used without object)

shilly-shallied, shilly-shallying

1. to show indecision or hesitation; be irresolute; vacillate.

2. to waste time; dawdle.

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noun

plural

shilly-shallies

1. irresolution; indecision; vacillation.

   It was sheer shilly-shally on his part.

adjective

1. irresolute; undecided; vacillating.

adverb

1. irresolutely.

Other Word Forms

• shilly-shallier noun

Etymology

Origin of shilly-shally

First recorded in 1690–1700; originally repeated question, shall I? shall I?; later altered on the model of its synonym dilly-dally

Example Sentences

He did not shilly-shally in welcoming the crowd.

From New York Times • May 18, 2010

Whenever the German army fell into a dangerous, disorganized or shilly-shally state, we always looked for the skillful hand of .

From Time Magazine Archive

For George Norris on the stump does not shilly-shally about getting himself elected.

From Time Magazine Archive

I began to think you were playing fast and loose, and I said to myself, Doctor’s got too much shilly-shally, willy-nilly in him to make a good leader of this expedition, but I don’t now.

From The Peril Finders by Piffard, Harold

"Oh Jesse Ferret, ef you had a drop of blood in you that wasn't milk-and-water, you would be ashamed of sich shilly-shally conduct, that even the women makes you a laughing-stock!"

From Quodlibet by Kennedy, John Pendleton