willy-nillyadv.adj.

Brit.

/ˌwɪlɪˈnɪli/, U.S.

/ˌwɪliˈnɪli/

Forms: 1600s wille nille, 1600s– willy nilly, 1700s willi nilhi, 1700s–1800s willi nilli, 1800s will y' nill y', 1800s– willy-nilly.

Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: will I (or) nill I (he, they, etc.) at will v.¹ Phrases 1b(a).

Etymology: Variant of will I nill I , will he nill he , will ye nill ye , etc. (see will I (or) nill I (he, they, etc.) at will v.¹ Phrases 1b(a)), with the pronoun forms eventually reduced to meaningless syllables providing an internal rhyme. Compare earlier nolens volens adv., volens nolens adv., and later nilly-willy adv.Compare will v.¹ Forms 2a(ii)(b). Compare classical Latin velim nōlim whether I will or not, velit nōlit whether he will or not, velint nōlint whether they will or not, etc. For examples of use of the phrase with the pronouns I , he , ye , etc., agreeing with the person referred to, compare e.g. quots. 1565, 1599 at will v.¹ Phrases 1b(a)(i), and also the following:1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke xxiv. f. cxcviii^v A benefite or good turne is to bee put in the lappe, and will he nill he, to bee dooen to the neighbour beeyng in necessitee.1560 J. Knox Answer Great Nomber Blasphemous Cauillations 188 It is the mightie power of the veritie, which (will ye nill ye) compelleth your mowthes.1570 T. North tr. A. F. Doni Morall Philos. iii. f. 54^v I..am bounde (will I nill I) to discharge my bounden dutie to your commaunde.1604 G. Babington Comfortable Notes: Levit. xviii. 157 Not multiplying wordes with your husband,..vying and reuying, and will hee, nill hee, still hauing the last word. Compare also the following instances where personal pronouns appear, but these do not agree with the person referred to, probably as a result of association with the established use of willy-nilly adv. and nilly-willy adv. by this date:1818 J. Keats Let. 25 Mar. (1958) I. 263 In hopes of cheering you..I was determined nill he will he, to send you some lines.1823 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto VI cxviii. 60 But go they must at once, and Will I—Nill I.

A. adv.

1. Whether with or against the will of the person or persons concerned; whether one likes it or not; willingly or unwillingly. Cf. nolens volens adv.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > necessity > [adverb] > whether one will or not

would…nouldOE

whether he (etc.) will or nillOE

will I (or) nill I (he, they, etc.)OE

maugre1340

nill he, will hea1400

who(ever) will or nillc1449

bongre maugrec1450

whether‥yea or no (also nay)1515

nolens volens1547

willing or nilling1578

volens nolens1602

willy-nilly1608

nilling, willing1657

nilly-willy1662

bon gré mal gré1818

wilta shalta1824

william-nilliam1907

1608 T. Middleton Trick to catch Old-one i. sig. B Thou shalt trust mee spite of thy teeth, furnish me with some money, wille nille.

1790 G. Colman Battle of Hexham i. 19 Queen... How now sirrah, how came you here... Fool. Willy nilly, madam, as the thief came to the gallows.

1807 Salmagundi 25 Apr. 166 He was sure, willy nilly, to be drenched with a deluge of decoctions.

1884 A. Griffiths Chron. Newgate II. vii. 306 He..conceived an idea of carrying her off and marrying her willy nilly at Gretna Green.

1898 L. Stephen Stud. of Biographer II. vii. 272 You are engaged in the game willy-nilly, and cannot be a mere looker-on.

1935 Times Lit. Suppl. 9 Nov. 718/2 Vetturino travelling inserted the wayfarer willy-nilly deep into the life of the country he was traversing.

2010 S. Fry Fry Chrons. 312 But, willy nilly, the iron has entered your soul. You cannot help but begin to look on authors and publishers as the enemy.

2. Without direction or planning; haphazardly, randomly; higgledy-piggledy.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > [adverb] > randomly or haphazardly

into uncertain1382

uncertainlya1387

at adventure (also adventures)c1390

at or on six and sevena1398

auntersa1450

at all adventure (also adventures)1485

by hab or by nab1530

at rovers (rarely rover)c1531

hab or nab1542

hitty-missy1553

rovingly1583

haphazard1600

random1619

unsight, unseena1627

happy-be-lucky1633

cross and pile1648

temerariously1669

happy-go-lucky1672

à tort et à travers1749

randomly1765

chance-medley1822

haphazardly1832

willy-nilly1908

by guess and by God (or Godfrey)1931

1908 Camera (U.S.) 12 (end matter) (advt.) To be sure—you could throw in willy-nilly the various chemicals constituting a developer, and produce some sort of an image—but would you secure the proper gradation and contrast in your negative or print?

1937 J. P. Marquand Late George Apley (1940) xxvi. 295 To see supposedly intelligent people gaping at a wall full of paint slobbered willy-nilly over canvas makes me feel that the world is going mad.

1988 Yankee Mar. 134/1 Ancient cars and trucks and farm machinery, their metal softened into a deep red rust, were parked willy-nilly.

2009 J. A. Coyne Why Evol. is True v. 129 The raw materials for evolution—the variations between individuals—are indeed produced by chance mutations. These mutations occur willy-nilly, regardless of whether they are good or bad for the individual.

B. adj.

†1. That is such, or that takes place, whether one wants it or not. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > necessity > [adjective] > whether willed or not

willy-nillya1652

a1652 R. Brome Eng. Moor i. iii. 14 in Five New Playes (1659) Their tuning o'their pipes, And swear they'll gi'ye a willy nilly dance Before you go to bed, tho'you stole your Marriage.

1880 Cornhill Mag. Feb. 182 All willy-nilly spinsters went to the canine race to be consoled.

1882 Ld. Tennyson Promise of May ii. 119 If man be only A willy-nilly current of sensations.

†2. Undecided, irresolute, vacillating. Cf. shilly-shally adj. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > [adjective]

twiredec888

orrathc1175

twofoldc1175

twifoldc1200

waveringc1315

uncertain1382

suspensec1440

mammeringa1450

flowing?1504

floghtering1521

vacillant1521

in a mammering1532

double-minded1552

unstaid1561

unresolute1570

unresolved?1571

staggeringa1577

frittle1579

irresolute1579

cheverel1583

off and on1583

halting1585

unsettleda1593

unresolving1599

demurring1607

waving1611

suspensive1614

hoveringa1616

startling1619

irresolved1621

hesitating1622

indetermined1628

variousa1643

branling1645

hesitant1647

non-sincere1656

hesitatious1657

humdrum1660

shuttlecock1660

yea-and-nay1672

swaying1688

interpendent1708

undetermined1718

Squadronec1720

hesitatorya1734

volanta1734

shilly-shally1734

dilly-dally1749

niffy-naffy1765

wiggle-waggle1778

undecided1779

undecisive1780

indecisive1787

conflicted1789

hesitative1795

undeciding1802

vacillating1814

yea-nay1827

demurrant1836

willy-nilly1839

shilly-shallying1842

oscillative1852

Hamletish1854

vacillatory1854

dilly-dallying1879

thistledown1897

weak-principled1913

not-quite1920

off-again on-again1923

dithery1931

havering1975

1839 Brighton Patriot 28 May How is it possible for the advocates of the Ballot, &c., to act with the Whigs, if such willy nilly shilly shally course is to be continued?

1883 F. Galton Inq. Human Faculty 57 The willy-nilly disposition of the female in matters of love is as apparent in the butterfly as in the man.

1899 W. Besant Orange Girl ii. vi. 194 Let us have no more shilly shally, willy nilly talk.

3. Unplanned, haphazard, random.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > [adjective] > random or haphazard

uncertain1303

casualc1460

haphazard1576

roving1577

hazardous1585

chanceful1594

firmless1605

random1655

temerarious1660

aleatory1693

contingent1703

unlawed1789

by the way1846

chancy1860

fluky1880

hitty-missy1885

perchance1891

happenchance1905

happenstance1905

willy-nilly1933

the mind > will > intention > unintentional or unplanned character > [adjective] > unplanned

suddena1300

unpremeditate1551

extemporal1570

unpurposed1570

unmeditated1576

extemporate1590

unpremeditated1597

unplotted1598

extemporary1610

extemporanean1621

extempory1623

impremeditate1647

unthought1648

unresolved1649

extemporate1651

incogitate1652

unprojected1653

indeliberate1655

extemporaneous1656

indeliberated1656

autoschediastical1662

casual1667

offhanda1668

undiscourseda1670

extemporany1673

unplanned1775

impromptu1789

on (also upon) the spur of the moment (or occasion, etc.)1801

autoschediastic1809

impromptuary1827

improvised1833

extemporized1856

spontaneous1856

unconsidered1876

undevised1894

lashed-up1920

ad-libbed1933

willy-nilly1933

off the cuff1948

1933 Daily Texan (Univ. Texas, Austin) 4 Aug. 3/1 A typical [Cab] Calloway trick called the ‘riff’, defined as a willy-nilly transposition of single notes in octaves, often losing the melody in screaming but infectious chaos.

1961 Establishing Farm in Alaska (Bureau of Land Managem., U.S. Dept. Interior) 28/1 If you have berm piles, run them in the same direction... Scattering berm piles in a willy-nilly manner makes it hard to use modern machinery.

2019 Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) (Nexis) 24 Jan. b4 It's not a willy-nilly thought process. It's science.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

单词	willy-nilly
释义	willy-nillyadv.adj. Brit. /ˌwɪlɪˈnɪli/, U.S. /ˌwɪliˈnɪli/ Forms: 1600s wille nille, 1600s– willy nilly, 1700s willi nilhi, 1700s–1800s willi nilli, 1800s will y' nill y', 1800s– willy-nilly. Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: will I (or) nill I (he, they, etc.) at will v.¹ Phrases 1b(a). Etymology: Variant of will I nill I , will he nill he , will ye nill ye , etc. (see will I (or) nill I (he, they, etc.) at will v.¹ Phrases 1b(a)), with the pronoun forms eventually reduced to meaningless syllables providing an internal rhyme. Compare earlier nolens volens adv., volens nolens adv., and later nilly-willy adv.Compare will v.¹ Forms 2a(ii)(b). Compare classical Latin velim nōlim whether I will or not, velit nōlit whether he will or not, velint nōlint whether they will or not, etc. For examples of use of the phrase with the pronouns I , he , ye , etc., agreeing with the person referred to, compare e.g. quots. 1565, 1599 at will v.¹ Phrases 1b(a)(i), and also the following:1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke xxiv. f. cxcviii^v A benefite or good turne is to bee put in the lappe, and will he nill he, to bee dooen to the neighbour beeyng in necessitee.1560 J. Knox Answer Great Nomber Blasphemous Cauillations 188 It is the mightie power of the veritie, which (will ye nill ye) compelleth your mowthes.1570 T. North tr. A. F. Doni Morall Philos. iii. f. 54^v I..am bounde (will I nill I) to discharge my bounden dutie to your commaunde.1604 G. Babington Comfortable Notes: Levit. xviii. 157 Not multiplying wordes with your husband,..vying and reuying, and will hee, nill hee, still hauing the last word. Compare also the following instances where personal pronouns appear, but these do not agree with the person referred to, probably as a result of association with the established use of willy-nilly adv. and nilly-willy adv. by this date:1818 J. Keats Let. 25 Mar. (1958) I. 263 In hopes of cheering you..I was determined nill he will he, to send you some lines.1823 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto VI cxviii. 60 But go they must at once, and Will I—Nill I. A. adv. 1. Whether with or against the will of the person or persons concerned; whether one likes it or not; willingly or unwillingly. Cf. nolens volens adv. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > necessity > [adverb] > whether one will or not would…nouldOE whether he (etc.) will or nillOE will I (or) nill I (he, they, etc.)OE maugre1340 nill he, will hea1400 who(ever) will or nillc1449 bongre maugrec1450 whether‥yea or no (also nay)1515 nolens volens1547 willing or nilling1578 volens nolens1602 willy-nilly1608 nilling, willing1657 nilly-willy1662 bon gré mal gré1818 wilta shalta1824 william-nilliam1907 1608 T. Middleton Trick to catch Old-one i. sig. B Thou shalt trust mee spite of thy teeth, furnish me with some money, wille nille. 1790 G. Colman Battle of Hexham i. 19 Queen... How now sirrah, how came you here... Fool. Willy nilly, madam, as the thief came to the gallows. 1807 Salmagundi 25 Apr. 166 He was sure, willy nilly, to be drenched with a deluge of decoctions. 1884 A. Griffiths Chron. Newgate II. vii. 306 He..conceived an idea of carrying her off and marrying her willy nilly at Gretna Green. 1898 L. Stephen Stud. of Biographer II. vii. 272 You are engaged in the game willy-nilly, and cannot be a mere looker-on. 1935 Times Lit. Suppl. 9 Nov. 718/2 Vetturino travelling inserted the wayfarer willy-nilly deep into the life of the country he was traversing. 2010 S. Fry Fry Chrons. 312 But, willy nilly, the iron has entered your soul. You cannot help but begin to look on authors and publishers as the enemy. 2. Without direction or planning; haphazardly, randomly; higgledy-piggledy. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > [adverb] > randomly or haphazardly into uncertain1382 uncertainlya1387 at adventure (also adventures)c1390 at or on six and sevena1398 auntersa1450 at all adventure (also adventures)1485 by hab or by nab1530 at rovers (rarely rover)c1531 hab or nab1542 hitty-missy1553 rovingly1583 haphazard1600 random1619 unsight, unseena1627 happy-be-lucky1633 cross and pile1648 temerariously1669 happy-go-lucky1672 à tort et à travers1749 randomly1765 chance-medley1822 haphazardly1832 willy-nilly1908 by guess and by God (or Godfrey)1931 1908 Camera (U.S.) 12 (end matter) (advt.) To be sure—you could throw in willy-nilly the various chemicals constituting a developer, and produce some sort of an image—but would you secure the proper gradation and contrast in your negative or print? 1937 J. P. Marquand Late George Apley (1940) xxvi. 295 To see supposedly intelligent people gaping at a wall full of paint slobbered willy-nilly over canvas makes me feel that the world is going mad. 1988 Yankee Mar. 134/1 Ancient cars and trucks and farm machinery, their metal softened into a deep red rust, were parked willy-nilly. 2009 J. A. Coyne Why Evol. is True v. 129 The raw materials for evolution—the variations between individuals—are indeed produced by chance mutations. These mutations occur willy-nilly, regardless of whether they are good or bad for the individual. B. adj. †1. That is such, or that takes place, whether one wants it or not. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > necessity > [adjective] > whether willed or not willy-nillya1652 a1652 R. Brome Eng. Moor i. iii. 14 in Five New Playes (1659) Their tuning o'their pipes, And swear they'll gi'ye a willy nilly dance Before you go to bed, tho'you stole your Marriage. 1880 Cornhill Mag. Feb. 182 All willy-nilly spinsters went to the canine race to be consoled. 1882 Ld. Tennyson Promise of May ii. 119 If man be only A willy-nilly current of sensations. †2. Undecided, irresolute, vacillating. Cf. shilly-shally adj. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > [adjective] twiredec888 orrathc1175 twofoldc1175 twifoldc1200 waveringc1315 uncertain1382 suspensec1440 mammeringa1450 flowing?1504 floghtering1521 vacillant1521 in a mammering1532 double-minded1552 unstaid1561 unresolute1570 unresolved?1571 staggeringa1577 frittle1579 irresolute1579 cheverel1583 off and on1583 halting1585 unsettleda1593 unresolving1599 demurring1607 waving1611 suspensive1614 hoveringa1616 startling1619 irresolved1621 hesitating1622 indetermined1628 variousa1643 branling1645 hesitant1647 non-sincere1656 hesitatious1657 humdrum1660 shuttlecock1660 yea-and-nay1672 swaying1688 interpendent1708 undetermined1718 Squadronec1720 hesitatorya1734 volanta1734 shilly-shally1734 dilly-dally1749 niffy-naffy1765 wiggle-waggle1778 undecided1779 undecisive1780 indecisive1787 conflicted1789 hesitative1795 undeciding1802 vacillating1814 yea-nay1827 demurrant1836 willy-nilly1839 shilly-shallying1842 oscillative1852 Hamletish1854 vacillatory1854 dilly-dallying1879 thistledown1897 weak-principled1913 not-quite1920 off-again on-again1923 dithery1931 havering1975 1839 Brighton Patriot 28 May How is it possible for the advocates of the Ballot, &c., to act with the Whigs, if such willy nilly shilly shally course is to be continued? 1883 F. Galton Inq. Human Faculty 57 The willy-nilly disposition of the female in matters of love is as apparent in the butterfly as in the man. 1899 W. Besant Orange Girl ii. vi. 194 Let us have no more shilly shally, willy nilly talk. 3. Unplanned, haphazard, random. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > [adjective] > random or haphazard uncertain1303 casualc1460 haphazard1576 roving1577 hazardous1585 chanceful1594 firmless1605 random1655 temerarious1660 aleatory1693 contingent1703 unlawed1789 by the way1846 chancy1860 fluky1880 hitty-missy1885 perchance1891 happenchance1905 happenstance1905 willy-nilly1933 the mind > will > intention > unintentional or unplanned character > [adjective] > unplanned suddena1300 unpremeditate1551 extemporal1570 unpurposed1570 unmeditated1576 extemporate1590 unpremeditated1597 unplotted1598 extemporary1610 extemporanean1621 extempory1623 impremeditate1647 unthought1648 unresolved1649 extemporate1651 incogitate1652 unprojected1653 indeliberate1655 extemporaneous1656 indeliberated1656 autoschediastical1662 casual1667 offhanda1668 undiscourseda1670 extemporany1673 unplanned1775 impromptu1789 on (also upon) the spur of the moment (or occasion, etc.)1801 autoschediastic1809 impromptuary1827 improvised1833 extemporized1856 spontaneous1856 unconsidered1876 undevised1894 lashed-up1920 ad-libbed1933 willy-nilly1933 off the cuff1948 1933 Daily Texan (Univ. Texas, Austin) 4 Aug. 3/1 A typical [Cab] Calloway trick called the ‘riff’, defined as a willy-nilly transposition of single notes in octaves, often losing the melody in screaming but infectious chaos. 1961 Establishing Farm in Alaska (Bureau of Land Managem., U.S. Dept. Interior) 28/1 If you have berm piles, run them in the same direction... Scattering berm piles in a willy-nilly manner makes it hard to use modern machinery. 2019 Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) (Nexis) 24 Jan. b4 It's not a willy-nilly thought process. It's science. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < adv.adj.1608
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