shillyshally
- noun
- /ˈʃɪliˌʃæli/
- Informal
:
vacilación
- His constant shillyshally annoyed his colleagues, who preferred to make decisions quickly.
Examples
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His shillyshally cost him the promotion he wanted.
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We lost a great opportunity because of too much shillyshally on the team's part.
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After an hour of shillyshally, they finally agreed on a course of action.
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The committee's shillyshallies delayed the project significantly.
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After an hour of shillyshally, the team finally agreed on a course of action.
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His constant shillyshally frustrated his colleagues, who preferred to make decisions quickly.
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We lost a valuable opportunity due to excessive shillyshally among the team members.
Synonyms
21
4.8
Delaying tasks you should do until later
7
4.2
A short pause before you act because you are not sure
4
6.5
Slow, unnecessary movement or delay that wastes time
Putting off doing something you should do now
How Hesitant
Surface Forms
Etymology
Shillyshally probably comes from repeating the question 'shall I?', with the two parts shilly and shally sounding like someone asking 'shall I? shall I?'. So shillyshally as a noun means hesitation or delaying instead of acting.