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| v. dal·lied, dal·ly·ing, dal·lies v. intr. 1. To play amorously; flirt: My friend dallied with my cousin during the picnic. 2. To consider or occupy oneself with something in a careless or unserious fashion; toy. See Synonyms at flirt. 3. To dawdle, delay, or linger: Don't dally or we'll miss the train. v. tr. To spend (time) idly: dally away the afternoon. [Middle English dalien, from Anglo-Norman dalier, to dally, chat with, deal with, negotiate with, perhaps from Middle English del, deal, or Middle English delen, dælen, to deal, give, utter (from Old English dǣlan, to divide, share; see DEAL1), or perhaps from an unattested Old English or other Germanic source akin to German dahlen, to joke, trifle with, flirt (perhaps of imitative origin).] dalli·er n. |
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