dillydally
UK[ˈdɪliˌdæli]US[ˈdɪliˌdæli]
v
To waste time, especially by being slow or indecisive; to dawdle or loiter.
Etymology
The word 'dillydally' is a fanciful 17th-century elaboration of the earlier verb 'dally', which itself entered Middle English from Old French dailer, meaning 'to chat, to converse'. The core notion of 'dally' is to spend time idly or frivolously. By employing reduplication, a common process in English word formation for creating playful or intensive forms (as in 'wishy-washy' or 'helter-skelter'), 'dillydally' amplifies the sense of pointless delay and indecision. Its journey reflects a linguistic tendency to use sound symbolism and repetition to vividly express concepts of hesitation and time-wasting, moving from a term for casual talk to a stronger descriptor for procrastination.
Analysis
This is a reduplicative compound, formed by the playful alteration and repetition of the word 'dally'. The first element 'dilly' has no independent meaning and serves to create a rhyming, emphatic form.
Examples
Stop dillydallying and make a decision already.
We'll be late if you keep dillydallying over what to wear.
He dillydallied on his way to school, looking at every shop window.