[syn: dally, trifle, play]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Dally \Dal"ly\, v. t.
To delay unnecessarily; to while away.
[1913 Webster]
Dallying off the time with often skirmishes. --Knolles.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Dally \Dal"ly\ (d[a^]l"l[y^]), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dallied
(d[a^]l"l[i^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Dallying.] [OE. dalien,
dailien; cf. Icel. pylja to talk, G. dallen, dalen, dahlen,
to trifle, talk nonsense, OSw. tule a droll or funny man; or
AS. dol foolish, E. dull.]
1. To waste time in effeminate or voluptuous pleasures, or in
idleness; to fool away time; to delay unnecessarily; to
tarry; to trifle.
[1913 Webster]
We have trifled too long already; it is madness to
dally any longer. --Calamy.
[1913 Webster]
We have put off God, and dallied with his grace.
--Barrow.
[1913 Webster]
2. To interchange caresses, especially with one of the
opposite sex; to use fondling; to wanton; to sport.
[1913 Webster]
Not dallying with a brace of courtesans. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Our aerie . . . dallies with the wind. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
dally
v 1: behave carelessly or indifferently; "Play about with a
young girl's affection" [syn: dally, toy, play,
flirt]
2: waste time; "Get busy--don't dally!" [syn: dally, dawdle]
3: talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions; "The
guys always try to chat up the new secretaries"; "My husband
never flirts with other women" [syn: chat up, flirt,
dally, butterfly, coquet, coquette, romance,
philander, mash]
4: consider not very seriously; "He is trifling with her"; "She
plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania" [syn: dally,
trifle, play]