shilly-shally

shil·ly-shal·ly

Now Rare in a vacillating manner; irresolutely

Origin of shilly-shally

reduplicated, reduplication of shall I? meaning “shall I or shall I not?”

Now Rare vacillation or irresolution, esp. over a trivial matter

intransitive verb

-·lied, -·lying

to be irresolute; vacillate, esp. over trifles

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"shilly-shally." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/shilly-shally>.

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shilly-shally. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/shilly-shally

shilly-shally

intransitive verb

shil·ly-shal·lied, shil·ly-shal·ly·ing, shil·ly-shal·lies,

To procrastinate.
To be unable to come to a decision; vacillate.
To spend time on insignificant things; dawdle.

adjective

Hesitant; vacillating.

noun

pl. shil·ly-shal·lies

Procrastination; hesitation.

adverb

In a hesitant manner; irresolutely.

Origin of shilly-shally

Reduplication of the question shall I?

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.