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lallygag
[ lah-lee-gag, lal-ee- ]
lallygag
/ ˱ôĂŠ±ôÉȘËÉĄĂŠÉĄ /
verb
- intr to loiter aimlessly
yĐÄvlog History and Origins
Origin of lallygag1
Example Sentences
Even if you get there in one piece, there wonât be much lallygagging around outside; youâd be spending every single minute of your life trying to not die.
It was Blenke that kept prowling about the major's, lallygagging with that French maid.
Mrs. MacCall was famous for her "whangdoodle pudding and lallygag sauce"âa title she had given once to cottage pudding and its accompanying dressing to satisfy little folks' teasing questions as to "what is that?"
And here you are, doing nothing and lallygagging at court with the nobility.
I've come all these miles for this young fellow; but I don't cotton to the idea of lallygagging four weeks in this burg.
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More About Lallygag
What doesÌęlallygag mean?
To lallygag is to dilly-dally, , loaf around, or goof off. If youâre lallygagging, youâre wasting time by moving slowly or doing something less important than what you should be (or doing nothing at all).
Lallygag is synonymous with the very similar spelled lollygag, which is much more commonly used. Both are very informal and are primarily used in the United States.
Example: Coach yelled at Spencer for lallygagging at practice.
Where doesÌęlallygag come from?
The first recorded uses of lollygag and lallygag come from around the 1860s. They are considered Americanismsâmeaning they likely originated in and are most used in the United States. But their etymological origin is unknown. The word loll, meaning to ârecline or lean in a relaxed or lazy mannerâ (as in loll on the couch) has been in use since the 1300s, but there is no evidence connecting it to lollygag or lallygag. Nor is there any evidence that the second part is based on the sense of the word gag referring to a joke or trick. So weâll stop lallygagging and start talking about how itâs used.
A somewhat formal definition of lallygag is âto waste time idly.â But lallygag is a very informal word applied to the kind of very informal activities best known as goofing off or messing around or dilly-dallying. If youâre supposed to be doing your homework but youâre messing around with your friends by doing nothing in particular, youâre lallygagging. Sometimes, lallygag means âto loiterâ or âto do just about nothing at all.â Itâs also commonly used to mean âto move slowly or drag behind,â as in Quit lallygagging back there and catch up with the rest of the group!
Lallygag (and to a lesser extent lollygag) was formerly used as a slang term meaning âto kiss or engage in sexual activity,â but it is not really used this way anymore (although some of its synonyms are, such as mess around).
Did you know ... ?
How isÌęlallygag used in real life?
Lallygag is most commonly used by people in the U.S. talking about wasting time or taking longer than they should to do something. Lollygag is much more commonly used.
It's been a while since I've been able to lallygag on the twitter,forgot how much fun it can be to just peruse various media sites & comment
â bevysmith (@bevysmith)
Canât even leave work early and lallygag before going home. Ainât nowhere to lallygag!
â Marc G (@marcmarc330)
You think this guy would lallygag it to first base? Think again.
â Thurman Munson Tweets (@MunsonTweets15)
Ìę
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Try usingÌęlallygag!
Which of the following words is an antonym (opposite) of lallygag?
A. dawdle
B. idle
C. hurry
D. loiter
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