I. |shilē|shalē, -ili|shali adverb
Etymology: reduplication of shall I
: in an irresolute, undecided, or hesitating manner
II. adjective
: showing or marked by indecisiveness : irresolute , vacillating
a shilly-shally person
this man's shilly-shally temporizing — Atlantic
III. noun
( -es )
1. : indecision , irresolution , vacillation
one can hardly say suddenly after four years of shilly-shally — Janet Flanner
2. : shillyshallyer
IV. intransitive verb
( shilly-shallied ; shilly-shallied ; shilly-shallying ; shilly-shallies )
1. : to fail to act : show hesitation or lack of resolution
having reached a decision, I did not shilly-shally about the affair — Harper's
2. : to alternate between two attitudes or courses of action : back and fill
never took a stand but shilly-shallied on all sides of it — C.W.M.Hart
3. : to waste time : dawdle
twenty people for supper … and thee shilly-shallying in thy shirttail at six in the morning — Jessamyn West