喜樂美語

核心畫面

One way to hold dally: someone who should be moving on is still standing where they are, letting the time go by . Nothing is being finished. The clock keeps running, and the person is fine with that. Whether that looks bad or harmless depends only on what is waiting to be done — a decision, a road, or another person.

「dally」可以想成這樣一個畫面：該往前走的人還停在原地，讓時間輕鬆地過去。事情沒有完成。時鐘一直在走，而那個人不…更多收起「dally」可以想成這樣一個畫面：該往前走的人還停在原地，讓時間輕鬆地過去。事情沒有完成。時鐘一直在走，而那個人不太在意。這個畫面看起來是惱人還是無傷大雅，只看「等著被完成的是什麼」——一個決定、一段路，還是另一個人。

From the word’s history

Dally came into English from Anglo-Norman delaier through Middle English dalien, which makes it a doublet of delay. The two words are the same old word that grew in two directions: delay kept the plain meaning, and dally kept the picture of time being let go.

dally 從盎格魯諾曼語的 delaier、經中古英語 dalien 進到英文，和 delay 是同一個源頭長出來的一對字。兩個字後來走了不同方向：delay 留下了乾淨的「延後」，dally 留下了「讓時間慢慢溜掉」的那個畫面。

Wiktionary etymology supplied in this packet (source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:635099396:17343): from Middle English dalien, from Anglo-Norman delaier; doublet of delay.

From the picture

不當真的來往

把「輕鬆地讓時間過去」用在一個人身上：相處很愉快，但沒有要走向任何地方。核心畫面裡的「不打算完成」變成了「不打算認真」，所以這個用法多半是在批評其中一方。

verb · C2

To spend time flirting with someone, or being romantically involved with them in a light way that is not meant to last. Usually written dally with someone.

調情、玩玩而已

Also in this word

verb · C1

To take much longer than you should before doing something, especially before making a decision.

拖延、遲遲不決

verb · C1

To stay in a place for a while on your way to somewhere else, instead of going straight there.

中途逗留、停留一陣

原始詞典資料8 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

Dallyname詞源 1

  • 1

    A surname.

Dallynoun詞源 2

  • 1

    A New Zealand person of Croatian or other Balkan descent.

    • The New Zealand wine industry and those who consume the wine it produces owe a huge debt of gratitude to the "Dallies" – the Croatians, and others from that part of eastern Europe who came here in the early 1900s and brought with them a passion for growing, making and drinking wine.

dallyverb詞源 1/ˈdæli/

  • 1

    To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle.

    • I wish, grave governor, 'twere in my power / To favour you; but 'tis my father's cause, / Wherein I may not, nay, I dare not dally.
    • […] after we by our presumptuous delays have put off God, and dallied with his grace; […]
  • 2

    To caress, especially of a sexual nature; to fondle or pet

    • Not dallying with a Brace of Curtizans, / But meditating with two deepe Diuines:
    • Mr Dombey in the meantime stood bolt upright in the carriage like a highly respectable ghost, looking on too; while Cleopatra and the Major dallied as two ancient doves might do.
  • 3

    To delay unnecessarily; to while away.

dallynoun詞源 2/ˈdæli/

  • 1

    Several wraps of rope around the saddle horn, used to stop animals in roping.

    • What matters is now if he tied hard and fast, / Or tumbled his steer with a dally.

dallyverb詞源 2/ˈdæli/

  • 1

    To wind the lasso rope (ie throw-rope) around the saddle horn (the saddle horn is attached to the pommel of a western style saddle) after the roping of an animal

    • The end of the top rope he dallied around the gooseneck trailer hitch.

這個拼法也被記錄為下列字的變化形：

資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。