dally

See also: Dally

English

WOTD – 3 October 2008

From Middle English dalyen, from Anglo-Norman delaier

dally (third-person singular simple present dallies, present participle dallying, simple past and past participle dallied)

To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle.
- (Can we date this quote by Calamy?)
  We have trifled too long already; it is madness to dally any longer.
- (Can we date this quote by Barrow?)
  We have put off God, and dallied with his grace.
(transitive, intransitive) To caress, especially of a sexual nature; to fondle or pet
- c. 1593, William Shakespeare, Richard III
  Not dallying with a brace of courtesans.
To delay unnecessarily; to while away.
To wind the lasso rope (ie throw-rope) around the saddle horn (the saddle horn is attached to the pommel of a western style saddle) after the roping of an animal
- 2003, Jameson Parker, An Accidental Cowboy, page 89:
  The end of the top rope he dallied around the gooseneck trailer hitch.

to waste time

Maori: whakarunaruna
Russian: тра́тить вре́мя впусту́ю impf (trátitʹ vrémja vpustúju), безде́льничать (ru) impf (bezdélʹničatʹ), прохлажда́ться (ru) impf (proxlaždátʹsja), развлека́ться (ru) impf (razvlekátʹsja), игра́ться (ru) impf (igrátʹsja), игра́ть (ru) impf (igrátʹ)

to interchange caresses

Russian: флиртова́ть (ru) impf (flirtovátʹ), коке́тничать (ru) impf (kokétničatʹ)

to delay unnecessarily

Russian: откла́дывать (ru) impf (otkládyvatʹ), отложи́ть (ru) pf or impf (otložítʹ) заде́рживать (ru) pf (zadérživatʹ) задержа́ть (ru) (zaderžátʹ)

Possibly from Spanish "dale la vuelta !" ("twist it around !") by law of Hobson-Jobson.

dally (plural dallies)

Several wraps of rope around the saddle horn, used to stop animals in roping.
- 1947 - Bruce Kiskaddon, Rhymes and Ranches
  What matters is now if he tied hard and fast, / Or tumbled his steer with a dally.