SHILLY-SHALLY

Definition: SHILLY-SHALLY

SHILLY-SHALLY

Adverb

1. In an irresolute, undecided, or hesitating manner.

Intransitive verb

1. To hesitate; to act in an irresolute manner; hence, to occupy one's self with trifles.

Noun

1. Irresolution; hesitation; also, occupation with trifles.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Date "SHILLY-SHALLY" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1852. (references)

Slang in 1811

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Irresolution

Adjective: irresolute, infirm of purpose, double-minded, half-hearted; undecided, unresolved, undetermined; shilly-shally; fidgety, tremulous; hesitating; Verb: off one's balance; at a loss; (uncertain).

Crosswords: SHILLY-SHALLY

Finnish

soutaa ja huovata. (various references)

Hungarian

tétovázó (faltering, hesitant, indecisive, irresolute, wobbly), tétovázás (demur, halt, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation, humming, irresolution, staggering, wabble, wobble), ingatagság (fickleness, grogginess, instability, precariousness, shakiness), ingatag (fickle, flighty, fugacious, labile, mercurial, mutable, precarious, sandy, shaky), ingadozás (fluctuation, flutter, lurch, oscillation, range, reel, swag, vacillation, variation, wabble, wobbling), határozatlanság (debility of purpose, hesitation, incertitude, indecision, infirmity, irresolution, shilly shally, wobbliness), határozatlan (equivocal, hesitant, indecisive, indefinite, indeterminate, indistinct, inexplicit, infirm, invertebrate, irresolute, obscure, shilly shally, to be on the hedge, transcendental, undecided, undecisive, undetermined, unresolved, unsettled, weak-kneed), habozó (demurrer, faltering, hesitant, hesitating, hesitative, indecisive, infirm, to blow hot a cold, uncertain, waverer), habozás (demur, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation, indecision, irresolution, oscillation, staggering, wobble), bizonytalankodás (hesitance). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

優�"不断 (indecisiveness). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

ゆうじゅうふ� �" (indecisiveness). (various references)

Pig Latin

illy-shallyshay

Portuguese

vacilar (boggle, chop, crane, diddle, falter, flinch, fluctuate, hand back, hesitate, niddle-noddle, nutate, oscillate, pendulate, quail, quiver, repose, shuffle, stagger, sway, teeter, toddle, totter, tremble, vacillate, waver), vacilante (faltering, fitful, flickering, floating, limp, rickety, shaky, tipsy, trembling, vacillating, wavering, wobbly, wonky), vacilação (boggle, falter, flicker, vacillation, wavering), irresoluto (double-minded, half-hearted, hesitant, indecisive, infirm, irresolute, undecided, undetermined, unready, unresolved, unsettled, unsolved, unsteady, up in the air, vacillating, wavering, weak-kneed), irresolução (demur, irresolution, wavering), indeciso (blear, double-minded, doubtful, drawn, feckless, fitful, half-hearted, halting, indecisive, indeterminate, irresolute, lacklustre, pendant, pendent, pending, suspended, undecided, undetermined, unresolved, unsettled, unsolved, unsteady, up in the air, vacillating, vague, wavering), indecisão (irresolution, suspense, waver), hesitar (balance, boggle, doubt, falter, flinch, flounder, fluctuate, halt, hesitate, linger, nutate, oscillate, pendulate, repose, scruple, teeter, waver), hesitação (backwardness, boggle, doubt, flinch, perplexity, scruple, teeter, wabble, waver, wavering, wobble), ficar indeciso. (various references)

Russian 

колебаться нерешительность нерешительный нерешительно (shillyshally). (various references)

Thai

ไม่แน่ใจ. (various references)

Vietnamese 

sự trù trừ, sự lưỡng lự (demur, doubt, doubtfulness, dubitation, hesitance, hesitancy, incertitude, irresolution, swither, wabble, wobble), sự do dự (demur, dubitation, indecision, irresolution, oscillation), trù trừ, lưỡng lự (double-minded, doubtful, dubious, dubitative, haltingly, hesitant, hesitatingly, hesitative, indecisive, seesaw, undecided, unsteady), do dự (double-minded, dubitative, hesitant, hesitatingly, hesitative, indecisive, indeterminate, irresolute, suspensive, undecided, undecisive, undetermined, unsettled, wavering). (various references)

Scrabble® YAWL-Verified Anagrams

-5 letters: shallis.