| 释义 |
dally, v.|ˈdælɪ|
Forms: 4–6 daly(e, dayly(e, (5 dallyn), 6 dalie, dallye, 6–7 dallie, 6– dally.
[a. OF. dalier to converse, chat, pass one's time in light social converse, etc.; common in AngloFr.: see Glossary to Bozon (ed. P. Meyer). Godef. has an instance of dallier trans. to ‘chaff’.]
†1. intr. To talk or converse lightly or idly; to chat. Obs.
c1300K. Alis. 6991 Dysers dalye, reisons craken. c1340Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1114 Þay dronken & daylyeden, & dalten vntyȝtel. Ibid. 1253 To daly with derely your daynte wordez. c1440Promp. Parv. 112 Dalyyn or talkyn, fabulor, confabulor, colloquor.
2. To act or speak sportively, make sport, amuse oneself; to toy, sport, play with, esp. in the way of amorous caresses; to flirt, wanton.
c1440Promp. Parv. 112 Dallyn, or hallesyn, amplector. 1573G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 105 Did you never see a flye in y⊇ nighte Dally so longe with y⊇ candle lighte. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, i. iii. 265 Our Ayerie buildeth in the Cedars top, And dallies with the winde. 1621–51Burton Anat. Mel. ii. ii. iv. 274 Little else..but to dally with their cats. 1685Roxb. Ball. VII. 473, I have a Chamber here of my own, Where we may kiss and dally alone. 1842Tennyson Day-Dream, Revival iv, The chancellor..dallied with his golden chain. 1883R. Noel in Academy No. 577. 365/3 Leaping lambs and lovers dallying.
b. To play with a thing or subject which one does not intend to take seriously; to coquet, flirt, esp. with temptation and the like.
1548Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Pref. 18 The auncient doctoures..doe in expounyng the allegories, seme oft tymes to playe and dalie with it. 1637Milton Lycidas 153 For, so to interpose a little ease Let our frail thoughts dally with false surmise. 1642Rogers Naaman 167 Dally not with her, as Eve with the serpent. 1774Fletcher Fict. & Gen. Creed viii. Wks. 1795 III. 343 When we dally with temptation. 1780Cowper Table-t. 544 To dally much with subjects mean and low. 1855Prescott Philip II, I. ii. xiii. 290 Men..who..had been led to dally with the revolution in its infancy..now turned coldly away.
3. To trifle with a person or thing under the guise of serious action; to play with mockingly.
1548Hall Chron. 225 But the Duke of Burgoyne dalied and dissimuled with all parties..gevyng them faire wordes. 1579Tomson Calvin's Serm. Tim. 440/1 We see a great number yt wold dallie thus with God. 1600Holland Livy ii. xxiii. 59 a, Then thought the people..they were mocked and dallied withall [eludi]. 1614Bp. Hall Recoll. Treat. 697 If wee feared the Lord, durst wee dally with his name? 1706Addison Rosamond iii. iii, Why will you dally with my pain? 1722De Foe Relig. Courtsh. i. i. (1840) 17 Why do you trifle and dally so long with a thing of such consequence?
†b. trans. to dally out: to trifle with, elude.
1548Hall Chron. 146 The matter was wynked at, and dalyed out. 1563–87Foxe A. & M. (1684) I. 173/1 He would suffer no man..to dally out [eludere] his laws without condign punishment. 1611Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. xvii. 112 But Lewis..dallied out Edward with shewes of firme faith, till hee had effected the thing hee went about. 1618Bolton Florus ii. ii, Skill to shift aside Oares, and to dally out the strokes of beake-heads, by yare and ready turning.
4. intr. To spend time idly or frivolously; to linger, loiter; to delay.
1538Bale Thre Lawes 241 Ye are disposed to dallye. 1594Willobie Avisa (1605) 28 The poesie..bids you doe, but dallie not. Doe so, sweete heart, and doe not stray, For dangers grow from fond delay. 1600Heywood 1 Edw. IV, Wks. 1874 I. 32 We dallied not, but made all haste we could. 1647R. Stapylton Juvenal xvi. 285 If, being my debtour, he..stand Dallying to pay me. 1822W. Irving Braceb. Hall i. 6 Lest when he find me dallying along..he may hurry ahead. 1860Maury Phys. Geog. Sea xv. §651 One vessel..dallying in the Doldrums for days.
†5. trans. To put off or defer by trifling. In earlier use to dally off; cf. dally out in 3 b. Obs.
1574Whitgift Def. Answ. i. Wks. (1851) I. 165 This is but a shift to dally off a matter which you cannot answer. 1589Greene Menaphon (Arb.) 50 Fates and Fortune dallying a dolefull Catastrophe. 1611Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. xxi. 19 The Councell of Flanders..dallied him off with many Excuses. 1616Marlowe's Faust. Wks. (Rtldg.) 126/1 But wherefore do I dally my revenge? 1633T. Adams Exp. 2 Peter ii. 2 Neither dally this execution. 1821Clare Vill. Minstr. I. 34 Some long, long dallied promise to fulfil.
†6. To play or toy with; to influence or move by dalliance. Obs.
1597Daniel Civ. Wars ii. xix, Pleas'd with vain shewes, and dallied with delyt. 1627–77Feltham Resolves i. xxv. 44 Like a cunning Courtizan, that dallies the Ruffian to undo himself. 1677Gilpin Dæmonol. (1867) 70 Mark Antony by this means became a slave to Cleopatra..and so dallied himself into his ruin.
7. to dally away: to consume or spend (time) in dalliance or by dallying.
1685Roxb. Ball. VII. 473 Now when the night was dalli'd away..She 'rose and left me snoring in bed. c1765T. Flloyd Tartarian T. (1785) 90/1 They had dallied away a part of the night. 1828Scott F.M. Perth viii, He asked them what they meant by dallying away precious time. |