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 犹豫；踌躇 More Like This Reduplicative wordsReduplicative wordsWord Originmid 18th cent.: originally as shill I, shall I, reduplication of shall I?