Dal"ly, v. t. To delay
unnecessarily; to while away.
Dallying off the time with often
skirmishes.
Knolles.Dal"ly (-l?), v. i.
[imp. & p. p. Dallied (-lĭd);
p. pr. & vb. n. Dallying.] [OE.
dalien, dailien; cf. Icel. pylja to talk, G.
dallen, dalen, dahlen, to trifle, talk nonsense,
OSw. tule a droll or funny man; or AS. dol foolish, E.
dull.] 1. To waste time in effeminate or
voluptuous pleasures, or in idleness; to fool away time; to delay
unnecessarily; to tarry; to trifle.
We have trifled too long already; it is madness to
dally any longer.
Calamy.
We have put off God, and dallied with his
grace.
Barrow.
2. To interchange caresses, especially with
one of the opposite sex; to use fondling; to wanton; to
sport.
Not dallying with a brace of
courtesans.
Shak.
Our aerie . . . dallies with the
wind.
Shak.