shilly-shally
verb/ˈʃɪli ʃæli/
/ˈʃɪli ʃæli/
[intransitive] (informal, disapproving)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they shilly-shally | /ˈʃɪli ʃæli/ /ˈʃɪli ʃæli/ |
| he / she / it shilly-shallies | /ˈʃɪli ʃæliz/ /ˈʃɪli ʃæliz/ |
| past simple shilly-shallied | /ˈʃɪli ʃælid/ /ˈʃɪli ʃælid/ |
| past participle shilly-shallied | /ˈʃɪli ʃælid/ /ˈʃɪli ʃælid/ |
| -ing form shilly-shallying | /ˈʃɪli ʃæliɪŋ/ /ˈʃɪli ʃæliɪŋ/ |
- to take a long time to do something, especially to make a decision synonym dither
- Stop shilly-shallying and make up your mind.
More Like This Reduplicative wordsReduplicative wordsWord Originmid 18th cent.: originally as shill I, shall I, reduplication of shall I?Definitions on the go
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shilly-shally